As I said before, I never know where blog ideas are going to come from. I wrote a series on green burials after listening to a “Coast to Coast” episode. After I posted my first green burial blog, I received a comment from George Frankel of Eternal Reefs.
Well, I had thought I was finished with the green burial series until I saw this comment. I had never heard of Eternal Reefs, so I had to check out their web page.
Eternal Reefs offers families a cremation memorial that is eco-friendly. Unlike most traditional cremations, Eternal Reefs encourage the family to be involved. Eternal Reef started in the late ‘80s when college friends, who loved to dive, noticed the deterioration the reefs of the Florida Keys were suffering. Wanting to help the reef’s health, they came up with an idea.
They mulled over ways to help protect and even rebuild the eco-systems. Then, they came up with the idea of the Reef Ball, which would help rebuild the reefs while also adding new habitat to the environment. They wanted it to be made of material that was eco-friendly, but also stable enough to absorb and dissipate energy without moving in flows and storms.
They came up with molds that resembled natural reef formations and came up with a concrete formula that would attract microorganisms. Since 1990, over 400,000 Reef Balls have been placed on the ocean floor.
So you are probably thinking “This is nice, but what does it have to do with cremation?” Ah, in 1998, Reef Ball’s founder Don Brawley learned his father-in-law, Carleton Glen Palmer, wanted to have his cremated ashes put in a reef.
And with that simple request, Eternal Reefs was born. Loved ones can help mix the cremation remains and concrete, then cast the Eternal Reef. They can put their handprints on the concrete and write personal messages to make it a tribute to their loved one. There are four difference reef sizes with pricing starting at $2,995. And, for an extra cost, more than one set of remains can be combined in a reef. The reefs are located in Florida (Miami and Sarasota), North Carolina (Southport), South Carolina (Myrtle Beach), Virginia (Chesapeake Bay), New Jersey (Ocean City), Maryland (Ocean City), and Texas (Galveston).