Trees are a figure that, silently, accompanies us throughout life. And in a context of mourning for families, initiatives such as those of the Áltima funeral home seek to offer them farewells in the best possible environments, surrounded by trees, where the memory of the person saying goodbye remains forever.
An example is the proposal for green cemeteries such as Les Pruelles de Sitges or the Roques Blanques Regional Cemetery in Papiol, where the company has planted more than 2,500 native trees for environmental conservation and where families can deposit the ashes of their relative. around these trees.
The idea arose in 2006 when, with the need to repopulate a part of the park, native trees were planted, offering families the possibility of having one of them to deposit the ashes of their relative. The inspiration came from northern Europe, where there was already a tradition of burying ashes in natural spaces, surrounded by forests and nature.
As Joan Ventura, CEO of Áltima, explains, “preserving the natural environment, planting trees and applying other ecological and sustainable measures is a corporate priority and at Áltima, with cemeteries located in unique natural spaces, allows us to do so in environments that comfort people. families and help in the grieving process.”
Furthermore, beyond planting native trees such as pine, holm oak and cork oak in Collserola, in Áltima they offer different environmentally responsible proposals.
In Sitges they also have a space called "Els ametllers", which offers a new, totally sustainable alternative for those people who choose incineration. The space houses a pilot plan of 25 almond trees, a typically Mediterranean tree, whose flowers symbolize eternal love, hope and joy. Around each tree it is possible to bury up to five biodegradable urns with the ashes of loved ones and place a plaque that identifies the name of the deceased relatives.
The funeral home also offers the “Living Plant” proposal, with which they have been pioneers in measures so that the final goodbye is as respectful as possible with the environment. This service allows you to make traditional floral offerings to the deceased, wreaths or centrepieces, from pots with live plants from nurseries in Catalonia. In this way, the use of live and local flowers is promoted, reducing the use of imported cut flora, contributing to the reduction of the carbon footprint and the reduction of natural flower losses.
And very connected to the care of natural flowers, in the Roques Blanques Regional Cemetery they have an educational apiary, a pioneering initiative that promotes the protection of bees, while establishing itself as a unique pedagogical project to raise awareness about the role key of these insects in the ecosystem and biodiversity.
Although, as Ventura explains, it is not always possible to plant all the plants and trees that they would like and this is where the company's environmental will is expressed in another way: "For example, this March in Áltima we have completed the installation of more of 1,600 meters² of photovoltaic panels in thirteen of our funeral homes throughout Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, thus promoting corporate energy savings and avoiding emitting more than 504 tons of C02 each year or, in other words, the equivalent of planting more than 65,500 trees ”.
And going back to the beginning, do families value saying goodbye to their loved ones in environments where the environment is cared for? “They do appreciate it,” says Ventura, for whom “providing an excellent service to families and, at the same time, doing so by improving spaces and always innovating in a sustainable way and respecting the natural environment, they value it.” In fact, the natural environment continues to be the greatest legacy that we will leave to future generations when we are no longer here.
