The town of Warren Select Board voted unanimously at its last meeting October 15 for work to begin on a green burial cemetery.

This will be an extension of the Newcomb Cemetery, located off of Patterson Mill Road.

Warren’s Cemetery Committee and Sexton have been working on the project proposal for several months. The expansion, at less than one acre, will be into property owned by the town of Warren, between Newcomb and blueberry fields.

The new cemetery will accommodate “natural“ green burials; no vaults, allowing for natural/biodegradable caskets/urns and noninvasive/nontoxic body care (nontoxic embalming). Land will be cleared starting this month with the goal to have the new grounds available for first burials in the spring of 2027.

The layout will include an over story of mature trees with open grounds, select native/natural plantings with winding ADA accessible pathways and memorial benches.

Green Burial, according to the the Green Burial Council, a national educational and certifying organization, is a “a way of caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact that aids in the conservation of natural resources, the reduction of carbon emissions, the protection of worker health, and the restoration and protection of habitat.” It also offers a healing way for the loved ones of those who have died to move through this challenging time of loss."