This course is not being offered this term. Please see other course suggestions for pursuing skills that improve the sustainability of cemetery management at this link
Introduction to Sustainable Cemetery Management
Testimonials from students:
- "I had no idea this material would become so relevant so quickly." OSU graduate and sustainability intern now in a city government office
- "I now have a new direction for my landscaping business that I hadn't considered approaching before." adult degree student with own landscaping company
- "I think this is a unique course on a non-traditional topic that has substantial impact in real world situations. The course material and structure keeps me interested and thinking about situations in a different manner. The weekly discussion topics are very real and informative and it gets the class to open up and look at topics of cemeteries and cemetery resource concerns in many unique ways. It is a fun course packed with good information and a practical look on this topic. It's not just a class that defines what you need to know, it is a class that makes you think in other ways as if this was part of your job." Organic farmer and NRCS employee
- "Thank you so much, Cynthia, for such an informative and inspiring course" Managing director of a New England Natural Resource management firm
- "Let me say how much I appreciate the Sustainable Cemetery Management class. When I started looking for ANY cemetery management class, I came up with with nothing at all until I found yours. I'm sure the class will help me find contacts locally and help me figure out how to chart a path for our church's cemetery's future (or any other cemetery I become involved with" Church cemetery volunteer in the Mid-West
- "Very interesting material presented in a unique way. The word "sustainable" encompasses so much more than the natural burial movement, and is applicable across a variety of fields (not just cemeteries)! This class has really made me see the beauty of our historical cemeteries and the need to preserve them, while also recognizing that our current practises need to change." Natural burial activist involved in starting a natural burial ground
QUALITY ONLINE LANDSCAPE EDUCATION AT OREGON STATE:
- Oregon State University’s agriculture and forestry programs are ranked seventh best in the world in a new survey of institutions: http://cropandsoil.oregonstate.edu/content/osu-ranked-top-10-ag-forestry
- OSU for Turf and Soil: http://cropandsoil.oregonstate.edu/
- OSU for Horticulture: http://horticulture.oregonstate.edu/
ADDITIONAL INFO ABOUT GETTING A DEGREE
While there isn't a formal degree in sustainable cemetery management, Oregon State University's College of Agriculture currently offers a degree in Horticulture that can be earned almost entirely online. The degree can be individually tailored to students seeking work in the field of sustainable cemetery operations, providing business, landscape, ecology and natural resource management courses, as well as specific courses on cemetery-related subjects that will provide a good beginning foundation for modern cemetery operation.
For further information, contact Cynthia Beal at Oregon State University Sustainable Cemetery Studies Lab: http://cemeterystudies.oregonstate.edu