Kansas' First Green Burial Cemetery

Heart Land Prairie Cemetery is the first  burial ground in Kansas devoted to ecological practices and management. 

A natural or green burial ground accepts only un-embalmed bodies in biodegradable containers, or wrapped in a shroud, and does not require the use of concrete or steel vaults, a common practice in conventional cemeteries. 

This beautiful piece of land was donated to HLPC by The Land Institute, an agricultural research organization based in Salina, Kansas.  The Land Institute shares our vision of connecting people and culture by deepening our relationship with the land we live and die on.

The thing that really sets Heart Land apart from other cemeteries is that we are restoring this piece of land back to natural prairie. Native species have replaced the alfalfa crop that was planted here. At HLPC we use small, engraved metal markers that remain flush with the ground, and GPS coordinates to locate burial spaces. There are no above ground stone memorials. 

Heart Land Prairie Cemetery re-imagines the way a cemetery looks and feels. We have created trails and hiking paths throughout the cemetery and invite visitors to walk, sit in contemplation, bird watch, and simply enjoy the beauty of the prairie.

HLPC director, Sarah Crews, with grave marker in foreground. photo by Scott Bontz / The Land Report