Mission
The mission of the Red Hills Community Cemetery (RHCC) is to preserve and protect the land using natural burial methods.
Vision
The RHCC aspires to create an expansive, affordable, protected, and natural cemetery in the Red Hills region which supports environmental conservation and biodiversity, developing meaningful relationships between people, life, death, and ecosystems.
Organization Background
The Hickory Preserve is a special 96-acre tract of land in northeast Leon County within the fertile soils, rolling hills, oak canopied roads, and winding river systems of the Red Hills Region.
The RHCC was established to protect and preserve these acres of woodland, maple swamp, hickory hammock, live oaks, and wildlife habitat in through a conservation easement. Through the creation of a community cemetery on several acres of the Hickory Preserve, the land and biodiversity can be protected in perpetuity while honoring those we love in community with nature.
The RHCC will be a natural burial ground or “green” conservation cemetery is a type of cemetery that allows full body interment in the ground in a shroud or biodegradable container and using minimal heavy equipment for burial and landscaping, and without using formaldehyde-based embalming or concrete burial vaults.
The name “Red Hills” came from the name for this region, which is a 436,000-acre area located between Thomasville, Georgia and Tallahassee, Florida. Known for its rolling hills and red clay soils, the region is rich in biological diversity, historic resources, and scenic beauty.
Conservation Cemeteries
These examples of natural burial in Florida and in other areas demonstrate the beauty and simplicity that a conservation cemetery can provide. Note that while natural burial cemeteries typically follow consistent commitment to preservation of the land, they can vary in approaches, landscapes, resources, as well as burial policies and practices. As the RHCC community is built, additional images that are specifically representative of RHCC natural burial and land.
Click on the photo to see in full size with caption.
