Duster Funeral Home in Tarentum commits to eco-friendly practices

While an electric Tesla SUV may seem like a luxury, Duster Funeral Home in Tarentum’s most recent vehicle purchase is actually a big step toward “going green.”

The funeral home has set in motion a five-year plan to create an eco-friendly facility.

The plan includes eliminating air pollutants by replacing their current vehicles with electric ones, they are considering switching to renewable energy by way of buying solar panels.

The funeral home along E. 10th Avenue installed LED lighting last year, and has always offered “green” funerals. So electric vehicles and solar panels only add to their “going green” mission.

Duster Funeral Home’s Vice President and Secretary J. Rodney Duster said he doesn’t know of any other funeral homes locally, state or nationwide that have a plan to go green like their parlor.

“We’re going to be aggressive with it,” Duster said.

Going green will take some time, hence the five-year plan, especially due to costs, Duster said.

“Short term expensive, long term you gain,” he said.

After installing the LED lighting last year, Duster said the home’s air conditioning costs plummeted. The lights generate very little heat and will last about 10 years.

As for “green” funerals, this natural burial isn’t new to Duster’s.

The Funeral Consumers Alliance describes these types of funerals as environmental sustainability. Chemicals, such as embalming fluid, are not used in the body, which is placed into the ground in a biodegradable coffin or shroud. All of it decomposes into the earth.

Duster Funeral Home has also managed to find furniture that is eco-friendly manufactured without the usage of chemicals during production of its furniture.