7 Best Eco-Friendly Memorial Service Providers in Santa Monica & LA
More families across Santa Monica and Los Angeles are choosing an eco-friendly memorial that leaves less plastic, concrete, and chemical residue behind. That might mean a natural burial in a wildflower meadow, a full-body burial at sea, a memorial tree in a protected forest, or water cremation instead of flame cremation. The choices have grown quickly, and so has the confusion about who offers what. This guide compares seven eco-friendly memorial options serving Santa Monica and greater Los Angeles, what each one includes, and how to decide which one fits your family's values and budget.
1. Farrington Mortuary & Cremation (Santa Monica)
Farrington Mortuary & Cremation is a family-owned funeral home based in Santa Monica that offers one of the widest ranges of green options in the area. Families can choose a full-body burial at sea in a biodegradable sailcloth shroud about six miles offshore, cremation followed by an ash scattering at sea, a natural burial without embalming or a concrete vault, water cremation (alkaline hydrolysis), and terramation, which gently returns the body to the earth as nutrient-rich soil. Farrington's licensed funeral director handles the permits, the death certificate, and the agency notifications that each of these choices requires, and every package is listed with itemized pricing on the packages and pricing page.
Best for: Families who want several green options compared side by side, with the paperwork handled for them.
2. Eternal Meadow at Woodlawn Cemetery (Santa Monica)
Woodlawn Cemetery, operated by the City of Santa Monica, includes Eternal Meadow, a naturalistic wildflower meadow set aside for green burial that protects native California wildflowers and grasses. Burials in the meadow use simple wood or wicker caskets or a shroud, and concrete vaults, metals, and toxic embalming fluids are not permitted. Because Eternal Meadow sits inside an established cemetery close to home, families can visit easily without traveling to a rural burial ground.
Best for: Santa Monica families who want a natural, in-ground burial close to home.
3. Gan Eden at Hillside Memorial Park (Los Angeles)
Hillside Memorial Park on the Westside of Los Angeles has set aside a section called Gan Eden for burial rooted in traditional Jewish practice. Traditional Jewish burial, with a plain wooden casket or shroud and no embalming, has long reflected the same principles that the modern green burial movement promotes. Hillside is a natural fit for families who want green burial within a faith-centered setting.
Best for: Jewish families in the Los Angeles area who want a natural burial within their tradition.
4. Teva at Mount Sinai Memorial Park (Simi Valley)
Mount Sinai's Simi Valley park offers a green burial area called Teva. Burials there use no embalming chemicals, concrete vaults, or metal caskets. Only natural containers made of wicker or wood, or natural fiber shrouds, are accepted, and each space is marked with a natural engraved stone rather than a bronze marker.
Best for: Families willing to travel to Ventura County for a dedicated green burial section with clear published standards.
5. Better Place Forests (Lake Arrowhead)
Better Place Forests operates memorial forests where cremated remains are returned to the soil at the base of a chosen tree instead of being placed in a cemetery plot. Its closest forest to Los Angeles is in Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernardino Mountains, and the company also operates other forests in California. This is a cremation-based option, so it pairs well with water cremation for families who want the lowest-impact path from start to finish.
Best for: Families who want a living memorial in a forest rather than a cemetery.
6. Green Burial Council Certified Cemetery Sections in Southern California
Several Southern California cemeteries now set aside certified green or hybrid burial sections. Examples include the Masonic Cemetery in Fallbrook in San Diego County, which has a Green Burial Council hybrid section, and Joshua Tree Memorial Park in the high desert, which has a section set aside for green burial. Certification status can change, so families should confirm current Green Burial Council certification and visit the section in person before choosing this route.
Best for: Families who are comfortable traveling for a certified green section in a quieter setting.
7. Water Cremation (Aquamation) Providers
Alkaline hydrolysis, often called water cremation or aquamation, uses water, gentle heat, and alkali instead of flame. It is legal in California and is widely described as a lower-energy alternative to flame cremation. Availability still varies among Los Angeles providers. Farrington Mortuary & Cremation offers direct water cremation, and families comparing other providers should confirm that the process is carried out by a licensed facility and ask whether the price includes the urn, permits, and return of the remains.
Best for: Families who prefer cremation but want a gentler, lower-energy process.
What to Ask Before You Book
Ask every provider the same set of questions so your comparison is fair:
Is the quoted price all-inclusive, or are permits, transportation, cemetery fees, and urns billed separately?
Is embalming required by the provider, or only by a specific cemetery section? Green sections usually prohibit it.
Which containers are accepted: shroud, wicker, untreated wood, or cardboard?
How much lead time is needed? Burial at sea and forest memorials often take longer to schedule than a cremation.
Can the family attend, take part in the burial, or hold a ceremony on site?
Based on conversations with families across Santa Monica and Los Angeles, the providers that answer these questions clearly and in writing are the ones families feel most at ease with during an already difficult time.
How to Choose Between These Options
The right eco-friendly option usually comes down to three questions. First, does your family want burial in the ground, burial at sea, a tree-based memorial, or cremation? Second, how important is it to stay close to Santa Monica rather than travel to Simi Valley, Lake Arrowhead, or the desert? Third, what is the budget? Natural burial, burial at sea, and forest memorials carry different costs and timelines. If you are still unsure, one phone call to compare pricing and availability can narrow the choice quickly, and families who want to decide early can explore pre-arrangements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a memorial service eco-friendly?
An eco-friendly memorial avoids or reduces embalming chemicals, concrete burial vaults, and non-biodegradable caskets or urns. It may replace conventional burial with natural burial, burial at sea, a forest memorial, terramation, or water cremation.
Is burial at sea legal in California?
Yes. Burial at sea is governed by the federal Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act. Cremated remains and full-body burials must take place at least three nautical miles from shore, full-body burials must be in water at least 600 feet deep, and the burial must be reported to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency within 30 days. A licensed funeral home such as Farrington Mortuary & Cremation handles these requirements for the family.
Does a green burial cost less than a traditional burial?
Often, yes. Green burial skips the cost of embalming, an outer burial vault, and an elaborate casket. Cemetery plot fees and opening and closing fees still apply and are set by each cemetery, so the total varies.
Is water cremation available in Los Angeles?
Yes. Water cremation (alkaline hydrolysis) is legal in California, and Farrington Mortuary & Cremation offers it as a direct water cremation package. Not every Los Angeles provider offers it, so confirm availability before you schedule.
Can we still scatter ashes at sea if we choose cremation?
Yes. Many families choose cremation followed by an ash scattering at sea, either witnessed from a boat or unwitnessed, as a simpler alternative to full-body burial at sea.
Key Takeaways
Santa Monica families have strong local eco-friendly memorial options, including Farrington's green services and Woodlawn Cemetery's Eternal Meadow.
Los Angeles-area families can also consider Gan Eden at Hillside Memorial Park, Teva at Mount Sinai in Simi Valley, and Better Place Forests in Lake Arrowhead.
Water cremation is legal in California but is not offered by every provider, so confirm before scheduling.
Burial at sea is legal under federal law when a licensed funeral home manages the distance, depth, and EPA reporting rules.
The best choice depends on whether your family wants ground burial, ocean burial, a forest memorial, or cremation, and how far you are willing to travel.
Farrington Mortuary & Cremation helps Santa Monica and Los Angeles families plan eco-friendly memorial services with transparent pricing and no pressure. Call (800) 674-3659 anytime to talk through your options, or begin arrangements online in about five minutes.