Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve

What Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve does

Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve is a non-profit natural burial cemetery and active nature preserve located on 130 acres in Newfield, New York, bounded by 8,000 acres of adjoining protected forests. Founded in 2005 as the first green cemetery in New York State and operated by the Greensprings Natural Cemetery Association, Inc., the organization provides ecologically sound burial services without embalming fluids, concrete vaults, or non-biodegradable materials. Its core offerings include Standard Burial Rights ($1,000 for a 15'x15' full-body site) and Cremains Burial Rights ($450 for a 7.5'x7.5' site), bundled with perpetual care, administrative services, and land stewardship. Burial service fees ($1,200 standard, $550 cremation, $300 infant) cover excavation via backhoe, placement, and grave closing. Ancillary services include stone installation ($225), disinterment, and commemorative planting of native perennials grown in an on-site nursery.

The organization monetizes through a mix of one-time burial rights and service fees, transaction-based ancillary services, and recurring Sustaining Member donations. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via the naturalburial.org website, year-round in-person site tours, and partnerships with funeral directors across New York State who facilitate body transport and paperwork. Customer segments include individuals and families seeking natural burial, advance planners, religious communities (including a designated Conservative Jewish section, S'deh Shalom), and environmental conservation supporters. The preserve maintains active habitat management for pollinators (monarch butterflies, wild bees), grassland birds (Bobolinks, Meadowlarks, Northern Harriers), and native plants via a pollinator plan developed with Cornell University and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Distinctive features include the Wind Phone (a hand-carved unconnected telephone for grief communication) and the Wednesday Garden Club volunteer program. The organization is certified by the Green Burial Council and recognized as a 2025 ACE Award runner-up by American Cemetery & Cremation Magazine.

Name

Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve

Legal name

Greensprings Natural Cemetery Association, Inc.

Website

https://naturalburial.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve is a non-profit natural burial cemetery on 130 acres in Newfield, New York — the first green cemetery in New York State — serving individuals, families, religious communities, and environmental supporters through ecologically sound burial rights, cremation interment, commemorative planting, and ongoing land stewardship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Burial Cemetery Services

NAICS

Cemeteries and Crematories (81222), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (712190)

akta.pro primary industry

Land Trusts & Protected Areas (BPAGAGAC)

Keywords

• Natural burial services
• Green cemetery operations
• Conservation land stewardship
• Ecological burial grounds
• Memorial nature preserves

Headquarters

HQ city

Newfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Burial Rights Sales: One-time fees for burial rights at standard (full body) or cremains burial sites. Standard sites are 15'x15' priced at $1,000; cremains sites are 7.5'x7.5' priced at $450. These fees cover site selection, administrative services, record-keeping, perpetual care, permanent maintenance, and contribute toward land management for native pollinator habitats.
2. Burial Service Fees: Fees charged at time of burial covering administrative services, record-keeping, site preparation, grave opening/closing, placement of deceased, and grave closing. Standard burial: $1,200; cremation burial: $550; infant burial (1 year or younger): $300. These fees cannot be pre-paid to Greensprings.
3. Additional Services: Ancillary fees including stone installation ($225), site location change ($150), standard disinterment ($2,000), cremains disinterment ($1,000), and memorial service ($250).
4. Donations and Sustaining Memberships: Tax-deductible donations support stewardship work including planting native species, monitoring/removing invasives, maintaining habitat for birds and butterflies, maintaining trails, and supporting places of solace. Monthly recurring Sustaining Member Program donations provide budget stability.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve is a 130-acre nature preserve in Newfield, NY that provides ecologically sound natural burial services as an alternative to conventional burial. The organization sells burial rights (standard 15'x15' full-body sites at $1,000 and 7.5'x7.5' cremains sites at $450) bundled with perpetual care, land stewardship, and on-site burial services ($1,200 standard, $550 cremation). Bodies are interred in simple, biodegradable containers without embalming fluids, concrete vaults, or non-biodegradable materials, with the surrounding 130 acres actively stewarded as pollinator and grassland bird habitat.

Product overview

Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve is a 130-acre nature preserve offering ecologically sound natural burial options. The core product portfolio includes Standard Burial Rights and Cremains Burial Rights (both bundled with perpetual care and land stewardship services), burial service fees, stone installation, and commemorative planting programs. Notable branded offerings include the Wind Phone (a therapeutic unconnected telephone for grief support) and the Remembrance Grove (a dedicated memorial space for bereaved parents). The company also runs recurring community programming including the Wednesday Garden Club volunteer events and maintains an Approved Plant List for memorial landscaping. All offerings emphasize sustainability, habitat preservation, and natural return to earth without embalming fluids or conventional burial materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Standard Burial Rights (15'x15' Full Body Site) Perpetual burial rights for one full body interment in a 15'x15' site, priced at $1,000, including site selection, administrative services, record-keeping, perpetual care, permanent maintenance, and contribution toward native pollinator habitat management on the 130-acre preserve.
• Cremains Burial Rights (7.5'x7.5' Site) Perpetual burial rights for cremated remains in a 7.5'x7.5' site, priced at $450, with the same administrative, record-keeping, perpetual care, and land stewardship services included as standard burial rights.
• Standard Burial Service Full-body burial service at the preserve priced at $1,200, covering administrative services, record-keeping, site preparation, grave excavation, placement of the deceased, and grave closing at the time of burial.
• Cremains Burial Service Cremation burial service priced at $550, covering administrative services, record-keeping, site preparation, grave opening, placement of cremated remains, and grave closing.
• Infant Burial Service Burial service for infants aged one year or younger, priced at $300, providing the same administrative and burial coordination as standard burial at a reduced fee.
• Stone Installation Installation of natural flat field stone markers flush with the ground, including a pea gravel bedding layer, for a one-time fee of $225 covering installation and maintenance.
• Disinterment Services Disinterment services for remains, priced at $2,000 for standard interments and $1,000 for cremains, covering excavation and handling of remains; a $250 Memorial Service option is also available.
• Commemorative Planting Program Planting of approved native perennials, grasses, ferns, and shrubs on burial mounds following burial, using plants grown in the on-site Greensprings nursery. Family participation is encouraged during Fall Planting Days events and yields a living memorial within the meadow habitat.
• Sustaining Member Program (Monthly Donation) Recurring monthly tax-deductible donations supporting stewardship work including native species planting, invasive species monitoring and removal, habitat maintenance for birds and butterflies, trail upkeep, and preservation of places of solace such as the Wind Phone and Remembrance Grove.

Quantifiable outcome

• 130 acres of maintained meadowland supporting pollinators and grassland birds
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Green Burial CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreensprings is certified by the Green Burial Council and participates in their national movement for natural, sustainable burial options. The organization follows Green Burial Council standards for cemetery operations and accepts funeral directors certified as green burial providers by the Council.
• Cornell University (Tom Seeley Research Team)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCornell University researchers Tom Seeley and David Peck have studied wild honey bee populations at nearby Arnot Forest and surrounding areas including Greensprings. Greensprings provides feeding habitat for research bees. Professor Seeley has mentioned Greensprings in his book 'Following the Wild Bees.'
• Tompkins Pollinator PathwayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGreensprings participates in the Tompkins Pollinator Pathway, a collaborative effort to support and protect native pollinators in the Tompkins County area through native plant corridors.
• Cayuga Bird ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Cayuga Bird Club leads annual birding hikes in Greensprings' meadows, collaborating on habitat education and appreciation of grassland bird species like Bobolinks that thrive in the preserve.
• Sustainable Finger LakesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainable Finger Lakes collaborates with Greensprings on events and educational programming about environmental sustainability and green death practices in the Finger Lakes region.
• Funeral Consumers Alliance of the Finger LakescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe FCAFL is an all-volunteer nonprofit providing unbiased information about funeral planning. They co-host educational events about green burial with Greensprings, including panel discussions featuring Greensprings Executive Director Michelle Menter.
• Finger Lakes Land TrustmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Finger Lakes Land Trust is highlighted as a future partnership opportunity. Their Executive Director Andy Zepp will deliver the keynote address at the 2026 20th anniversary Annual Meeting, discussing 'Creating a Legacy of Land and People – Reflections on Greensprings' 20 years and a Look to Future Partnership with the Finger Lakes Land Trust.'

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Better Place Forests: Operates memorial forests across multiple US states where cremated remains are scattered among protected trees, offering a nature-based alternative to traditional burial. Most directly comparable to Greensprings as a conservation-oriented disposition option marketed to environmentally conscious families.
• Ramsey Creek Preserve: Pioneering green burial cemetery in Westminster, South Carolina, established in 1998 as the first conservation burial ground in the US. Directly comparable to Greensprings as a nature preserve-style cemetery offering simple, eco-friendly interment on protected land.
• The Meadow at Rock Creek: Natural burial preserve offering green burial on protected meadowland with native habitat stewardship. Comparable as a similarly sized, mission-driven natural cemetery that combines burial services with land conservation.
• Pine Ridge Natural Burial Cemetery: Natural burial cemetery offering green burial in a protected woodland setting without embalming, vaults, or conventional markers. Directly comparable to Greensprings in service model, philosophy, and target customer.
• Glendale Memorial Nature Preserve: Green burial cemetery operated as a nature preserve with native habitat restoration and community programming. Comparable as a peer in combining end-of-life services with active land stewardship.

Others

• Green Burial Council: National certification body for green burial cemeteries, funeral providers, and product manufacturers. Greensprings is Green Burial Council certified, and the Council serves as the industry standard-setter and referral source for the natural burial movement.
• Conservation Burial Alliance: Industry network of conservation burial grounds that combine end-of-life services with land protection. Functionally an industry association and peer network for natural burial preserves including Greensprings.
• Finger Lakes Land Trust: Regional land conservation organization in the Finger Lakes, identified as a future partner of Greensprings. Comparable as a land trust steward operating in the same geography and serving overlapping conservation and community audiences.
• Funeral Consumers Alliance: National nonprofit advocating for affordable, transparent, and meaningful funeral options including green burial. Greensprings partners with the Funeral Consumers Alliance of the Finger Lakes for educational programming and consumer referrals.

Broad incumbents

• Service Corporation International: Largest North American operator of funeral homes, cemeteries, and crematoria with a broad conventional service portfolio. Relevant as the dominant incumbent whose conventional model Greensprings positions itself against, but not a direct competitor in the natural burial niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/greenspringsnaturalburial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/greensprings-natural-cemetery

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve