Eternal Reefs Executive First Expert in Ocean Memorial Options To Join The Board
Atlanta, GA – George Frankel, CEO of Eternals Reefs, has been appointed to the Green Burial Council’s Advisory Board, offering that organization the first expert in marine memorialization options. Prior to today, all members represented the land, funeral and death care, conservation, and environmental industries. The Green Burial Council (GBC) is widely regarded as the go-to organization for Conservation Memorialization information, science, best practices, and industry regulatory information.
“George brings us deep expertise in ecological issues, particularly as they relate to marine biology,” Joe Sehee, Green Burial Council Executive Director, said. “We’re pleased that he’s willing to serve us in this capacity.”
Frankel has been with Eternal Reefs since its inception in 1998. His experience working with regulatory agencies to approve the use of reefs as memorials gives him a complete understanding of the personal, emotional and regulatory issues surrounding green cremation memorials that benefit the marine environment. Previously, Frankel was Founder, President and CEO of Georgia Emission Testing Co., the largest independent automobile emission testing company in the US. He was also Vice President of Operations for 1St. Atlanta Bank and Wachovia Bank and Trust. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin School of Banking and served in the US Coast Guard as a certified coxswain and search and rescue specialist.
Through a mix of evangelism, economic incentives, and solid science, the GBC encourages environmentally sustainable death care and the use of burial as a new means of protecting natural areas. It has become the standard-bearer in this emerging field and the conduit for conservation of land, air and water resources.
Environmental concerns about traditional burials include the use of water, pesticides and pollution-producing lawn mowers at cemeteries. According to a 2009 study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, extended exposure to the formaldehyde in embalming fluids raises a mortician’s risk for dying of myeloid leukemia. And more and more people are realizing that occupying a plot of land for eternity isn’t the best use of green space.
According to the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), about 40% of people in the United States are cremated each year and the percentage is quickly rising. In 1985, only about 15% were cremated but that figure rose to almost 36% in 2008; it’s predicted to rise to almost 45% by 2015 and over 56% by 2025. Popularity of cremation varies greatly from state to state, from 74 percent of those who die in Nevada to 12 percent in Mississippi, according to CANA.
The GBC (www.GreenBurialCouncil.org ) has been stewarded by individuals representing the environmental/conservation community, consumer organizations, academia, the death care industry, and such organizations and institutions as The Nature Conservancy, The Trust for Public Land, AARP, and the University of Colorado. An independent, tax-exempt, nonprofit organization, the GBC is funded by contributions from individuals, certification fees, honoraria, and a grant from the Roy M. Hunt Foundation and represents over 300 “approved providers” operating throughout North America, with offices in the US and Canada.
About Eternal Reefs Inc.
Eternal Reefs, Inc. is an Atlanta-based company that provides a creative, environmentally-enhancing way to memorialize the cremated remains of a loved one. The company incorporates cremated remains into a concrete mixture used to cast artificial reef formations. The artificial reefs are dedicated as permanent memorials while also bolstering natural coastal reef formations. Since 1998, the company has placed more than 1,500 Memorial Reefs in 20 locations off the coasts of Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia, substantially increasing the ocean’s diminishing reef systems. Memorial reefs can only go in properly permitted locations by the US Government. Contact Eternal Reefs Inc. at: http://www.eternalreefs.com
