By Tim Dinan
You never know what gifts you may receive at Christmas and especially if you own a cemetery. But not only is this a gift for us, it's also a gift for Kitsap County.
Hillcrest Cemetery which is owned and operated by Cook Family Funeral Home was notified on Christmas Eve that after several months of work and development, they were awarded their Green Certification by the Green Burial Council!
Not only is this exciting news for Hillcrest, but also for our community. Hillcrest is the first and only cemetery on the Kitsap Peninsula to be Green Certified and it's right here on Bainbridge Island. There isn't a more fitting location considering Bainbridge is one of the leaders in environmental conservation.
By becoming certified it means that Hillcrest has complied with the strict guidelines of the Green Burial Council in regard to Best Practices for Burial, Best Practices for Maintaining and Protecting the environment and the surrounding native plantings, and also for the use of Best Practices in caring for the grounds and what is actually allowed to be buried in the specific Green sections of the property.
Hillcrest has been certified as a "Hybrid" Green Cemetery which means that due to its age, both Traditional and Green Burials will take place along with Traditional and Green Cremation and Aquamation Burials. It also means that Hillcrest will allow unembalmed and non casketed remains in the designated green burial areas.
We are excited to bring these services to our community and welcome anyone who is interested in learning more to contact us at anytime. We are also proud to present to Bainbridge Island and the surrounding communities the first & only certified green burial cemetery in Kitsap County. There are no other cemeteries in Kitsap County that offer Green Burials. We look forward to doing our part to protect our environment and honor the lives of our neighbors at the same time.
Hillcrest Cemetery: Remembering Lives, Honoring Memories, Preserving History and Our Environment.
Article Written by:
Tim Dinan, owner Cook Family Funeral Home & Hillcrest Cemetery
163 Wyatt Way NE, Bainbridge Island WA
206-842-2642 or 360-779-7872
For more info on Green Burials, Flameless Cremations, Pre-Planning and more, please visit the Compass & Clock publications to read articles written by Tim Dinan. You can find them at: