Friends

Posted on by Pete McQuillin

Since we had our picnic on June 9th, I’ve had several people tell me how much they felt at home with the Penn Forest crowd—like they’d been friends for years. Comments like these have led me to reflect on my 4-1/2 years working on this project and how all these new friends have enriched my life.

Friends at Penn ForestI’m 67 years old. Before I started working on green burial—starting this woodland cemetery—my friends were few and close. Now, I can easily count more than 100 people I like to spend time with, and the list keeps growing.

Why is this? What is it about green burial advocates that I like?

Well, they’re people who try to walk gently on the earth. Like me, they like the outdoors and the woods. Like me, they think green burial and forest restoration are important for the future of the planet. But it’s more than that.

In short, I would say they are kind and caring. They want to be nice to others. To help, instead of harm. Nice folks.

So, now that we’re coming up on our one-year anniversary of getting our cemetery license next month, I want to say to everyone, “Thank you for your friendship.”

Friends among the trees

Friends discussing green burial

Young friend at Penn Forest

Youngster at Penn Forest

Maritza at Penn Forest

Pete McQuillin at Penn Forest

Post written by Pete McQuillin | June 25, 2012

Penn Forest Photo Contest

Posted on by Pete McQuillin

Photo contest to be held annual picnic

On June 9, we will hold our second annual picnic and invite friends, family and special guests to celebrate our first full year in operation.  When you visit Penn Forest, you will see a host of picturesque images to capture.  So, we want to put your camera to good use!

Here’s what to do

  • Capture your favorite aspect of Penn Forest. Is it one of the many native species? Is it a buzzing bee on a flower? Is it meeting new friends? We want to see Penn Forest through your eyes!
  • Email your favorite photo to sarah@infinitimarketingsolutions.com by July 6, 2012 and we’ll upload one photo to our Picnic Photo Contest album on the Penn Forest Facebook Page.
  • Tell your friends and family to Facebook Like the photo on Facebook.

Determining the Winners

  • For each “like” on your photo, you will receive one point.
  • For every person you refer to our email newsletter, you will receive one point (the person has to list your name in the referred by section of the sign up process).
  • The entrant whose photo receives the most Points will win a Flip Ultra HD 4GB Video Camera!

Other Details

Voting on the pictures in the album on Facebook will begin on Monday, July 9 and end on Monday, July 16.  Any ‘likes’ incurred after Monday, July 16 will not count as a point.  During the same time frame, you can earn an additional point for every person that signs up for our email newsletter and lists you as the referrer.

Questions regarding the contest?

Contact Sarah Mayer, Penn Forest Marketing Consultant, at 412-225-2310 or via email at sarah@infinitimarketingsolutions.com.

Why Can’t We Face The Idea Of Death?

Posted on by Pete McQuillin

A few days ago I tried to talk with a friend about preparing for her death.  This 65-year-old lady is as smart and practical as any I know.  After beginning the conversation, she abruptly interrupted me, saying “But I love life; I’m having a good time.”  She turned and walked away.  I’ve pondered this comment and other conversations I’ve had with people about preparing for death, and have concluded that most people won’t think about it.  How can this be, when it is the one thing we cannot avoid?

I believe there are three [possibly more] systemic reasons for this:

  1. When I was growing up, children’s stories often addressed the subject of danger and possible death.  “The Three Little Pigs” and “Little Red Riding Hood” to name two.  Thornton Burgess’s “Mother West Wind” series, once popular children’s stories, was loaded with danger and threat of death.  But stories told to children these days, and for the last 30 or 40 years, hardly ever confront the possibility of death.  Most of today’s people are unprepared to consider death as part of living.

 

  1. Our parents and grandparents lived in a more rural, small-community world.  I grew up in a small town, yet my parents raised chickens and rabbits that were butchered and eaten by us.  I grew up helping to pluck feathers and skin rabbits.  Few today, including myself, are subjected to the killing and butchering of the meat we eat.  Death is exempted from our lives unless we work for some megalithic meat packing company.
  1. Our youth-driven cultural outlook has helped to warp our sense of reality.  Science has been so successful at improving health and keeping us alive that we now view death as a failure of medical science.  There are two sides to this coin.  Improving health is wonderful, but keeping us alive toward an inevitable end when no quality of life is left, seems cruel to me.  What happened to letting people simply go to their final rest?

 

Even the process of disposing of our dead has become impractical and out of touch with reality.  “Ashes to ashes and dust to dust” has been replaced with “ashes to methanol and dust to formaldehyde.” Concrete vaults and waterproof coffins are purchased to stave off decomposition of the remains.

 

These are expensive items that in reality do not work as advertised; environmentally- damaging items that are costly go into the ground never to be seen again.  Wouldn’t it be better if we were to let the dead contribute their remains to the good earth that gave them their life?

 

 

Shouldn’t we older persons, who have grown up more aware of death and are ourselves closer to death, discuss death with our loved ones?  Only then can they be prepared when the inevitable happens, and indeed the inevitable will happen to every one of us.

Penn Forest Maple Tree

 

This post provided by John Brobst.  John is treasurer and a board member of the Funeral Consumers Alliance of Western Pennsylvania, a nonprofit organization that helps its members plan affordable funerals for themselves and their families.

 

For more on this topic, check out these websites:

http://www.ernest-becker.com/thedenialofdeath/

http://www.sacreddying.org/blog/there-is-no-future-in-death/

 

Giving Thanks

Posted on by Pete McQuillin

Jeff Giles, our next door neighbor, tireless volunteer and dear friend, fixed up our previously ‘not in working order’ tractor and cart. He charged the battery, cleaned the carburetor and filled the tires. And I’m happy to say it now runs like brand new!  We plan to use it for grass-cutting, hauling, even coffin transport as it has a five speed transmission and can go very slowly when needed.

Jeff has been a great friend to Penn Forest and we thank him for being so giving and helpful!

 

Working Hard On Restoration

Posted on by Pete McQuillin

We have had two successful work days at Penn Forest so far this year.  Both events were held from 9 am to 1 pm on a Saturday.  The volunteers did a great job, as you can see from the pictures below, removing debris, brush and invasive plants and weeds.

The next work day is scheduled for April 21 from 9 am – 1 pm with a rain date on April 28 also from 9 am – 1 pm.  If you are interested in joining the fun, email pete@pennforestcemetery.com or call 412-265-4606.

 

 

 

Sharing Green Burial and Penn Forest with the ‘Burgh

Posted on by Pete McQuillin

Starting this month, you may see and hear more about green burial at Penn Forest around Pittsburgh.  We are sharing information about the cemetery in Print, Radio and Outdoor advertising.  This advertising is being added to what we are already doing to spread the word about the cemetery – our website, e-newsletter, video, Facebook, Twitter and our group on Linked In.

The latest issue of the Caregiver – a quarterly insert in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review –  is running our below ad.

Ad in Caregiver

Travel along Allegheny River Boulevard and you will see our billboard (going up mid-March).

And lastly, we will be an underwriting sponsor of Essential Public Radio (90.5 fm).  Do you listen to any of the following shows – Allegheny Front, Car Talk, Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, This American Life, Living On Earth?  If so, you’ll start hearing our message this weekend (March 17)!

Getting the word out about green burial options at Penn Forest is our goal with this campaign and we are excited to hear from folks interested in learning more.

Green Burial Equals Forest Restoration at Penn Forest

Posted on by Pete McQuillin

I have hiked and camped in many of the best forests in the eastern United States, both large and small.  To help sustain and expand them I’ve contributed to many environmental organizations, including the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, the Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club and most recently the Maine Woods Initiative of the Appalachian Mountain Club.

But by doing so, I rarely know how my contribution is actually spent or feel that I can have much of an impact on large-scale problems or projects.  However, lately I’ve found another way to better see and understand how to preserve a forested piece of land.  That is through my local green burial cemetery.

In green burial, bodies are buried in natural settings, without toxic or non-biodegradable materials, so the plants above benefit and the wildlife can flourish.  Think about how many more trees there could be if all of the approximately 4001 cemeteries in Allegheny County were green burial cemeteries with the graves spaced among the trees instead of in place of them.  Think of the benefits from all those trees!

The Benefits of Trees

  • Trees help to settle out, trap and hold particulate pollutants (dust, ash, pollen and smoke).
  • They absorb CO2 and other dangerous gases, and in turn, replenish the atmosphere with oxygen.  By some estimates trees produce enough oxygen on each acre for 18 people every day, depending on the species, climate, temperature and health of the trees.  Enough CO2 is absorbed on each acre of trees over a year’s time to equal the amount produced by driving a car 26,000 miles.2   
  • The trees also protect water quality and provide habitat for wildlife.

See the YouTube video the Importance of Trees for more evidence!

When a green burial cemetery is operated properly, the costs of the gravesite purchases and services provided can be used to contribute to sustaining and restoring the forest within its boundaries.

That is what I like about the Penn Forest Natural Burial Park. It is local; it is predominantly forested; but the land needs some help to restore it to a native-like Pennsylvania forest.  I can even work there on restoration days if I want to.  But most importantly, my purchase of a gravesite is helping to preserve a forest, to make it better, and I can see that, experience it, and enjoy it.

 

This post was provided by Roger Westman, Restoration Committee Member

 

1http://freepages.geneology.rootsweb.ancestry.com

2http://www.dnr.state.md.us/forest/publications/urban2.html

 

 

 

 

Volunteer Restoration Work Day

Posted on by Pete McQuillin

Pictures from the Volunteer Restoration Work Day
Saturday, February 4, 2012

Six hardy restoration volunteers helped out on Saturday clearing invasive weeds from part of burial area Section A. We can now sell lots in this area!

Pat Andrews, Roger Westman, Albert Petrush

Pat Andrews, Roger Westman, Albert Petrush

Albert Petrush, Beth McAhren, Pat Andrews

Albert Petrush, Beth McAhren, Pat Andrews

Janet Kikta, Pete McQuillin

Janet Kikta, Pete McQuillin

Thanks to everyone who braved the nasty weather!  The snow started falling in earnest after we took these photos.

If you want to be invited to future work days just click here to join our restoration volunteer committee email list (if requested, hit the SUBMIT button).  Or you can send Pete an email at pete@pennforestcemetery.com.

Restoration of Penn Forest Natural Burial Park

Posted on by Pete McQuillin

Ecological Restoration is defined by the Society for Ecological Restoration International as “The process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.” It is an intentional activity that initiates or accelerates ecosystem recovery with respect to its health, species composition and community, and its sustainability or resistance to disturbance and resilience. Restoration attempts to return an ecosystem to a state that resembles what it would have been if it had not been degraded. This restored system may not necessarily be exactly as it would have been since present conditions or activities can cause it to develop along a new path.

Thus is the state of Penn Forest. Our property has been degraded through excessive weather (e.g. windstorms), fire exposure, clearing and general damage caused by humans, with the result of diversity narrowing of flora and fauna species. We have an abundance of invasive understory plants that have taken over, and the existing native plants are showing signs of stress from this unnatural competition.

Restoration Committee Meeting

Restoration Committee Meeting

(Left to right: Janet Kikta, Pete McQuillin, Jeff Giles, Moni Wesner, Erin Copeland, Roger Westman, Mary Ruth Aull and Jeff Hodes. Absent: Kathy Raborn and Tom Bartman)

 

So given the present stressed conditions, what is the Restoration Committee to do to return Penn Forest to its more native state while still allowing it to meet its business plan for grave site sales and interments?

1)     Removing Invasives. Presently, we are working and planning spring work on the first two acres or so of our Phase 1 burial area. We are removing invasive plants and will be reintroducing more native plants. From this first area of success, we will spread our efforts into both contiguous areas and other areas that are not prohibitively infested. This spread will allow us to manage these pests and others and prevent them from being reintroduced into cleaned areas.

These processes of restoration combine Integrated Pest Management (IPM) into a method some Australian Restoration Ecologists have named, “The Bradley Method of Restoration,” which is to simply use the most effective and economic method to remove what you do not want and replant. When accomplished to the degree planned, then work moves on while you inspect what was done for new infestations. (If you are interested volunteering to help with this effort, please let us know via the website “contact us” area).

2)     Thinning Unhealthy Trees. We have a forest that needs some management. We are planning a meeting soon with a Pennsylvania State forester. With this person’s guidance, we will develop a plan (as part of our overall Restoration plan) for thinning out damaged and/or unhealthy trees from our forest. Although some areas are so dense that just doing this will not solve everything but it is a positive step that will allow us to plan for how future burial areas can be incorporated while allowing for a plan to restore some of the older growth. At this time we will introduce attempts to return our cemetery to a state that might resemble what it would have been if it had not been degraded while keeping our cemetery plan in mind.

   

Before and After Ground Story and Dead Tree Clearing of the Phase 1 Burial Area

3)     Creating a Restoration Plan. As our resident restoration ecologist, Erin Copeland, so aptly points out, “you need a plan for your restoration.” A restoration plan entails: a clear reason why the restoration is required, defining objectives, assessing existing conditions, planning for how the restoration will meet the objectives, and evaluating success. Of course, part of the plan includes a budget for the restoration and the long term maintenance. This will be a process that we will begin here shortly with the consulting forester and an evaluation of the plant and animal life that presently exists at Penn Forest. We plan to have the plan completed before the end 2012.

Volunteer

Being a part of this process is a valuable asset to the cemetery and its larger Penn Hills community. We appreciate those that are helping us now with our small phases of work to remove unwanted plants and lessening some of the safety concerns for visitors. If you feel so inclined, please sign up. As Kermit would say, “It’s not easy being Green” and we could add “but it is certainly worth the effort!”

Jeff Hodes,

Restoration Committee Chair