On his 66th birthday last May, Harry E. Echols learned he had esophageal cancer.

The prognosis was grim enough that Echols decided against treatment that might only slow the inevitable. With the help of his sister, Janet Ferguson, the Atlanta man began putting his affairs in order and arranging his funeral.

Echols never liked the idea of an embalmed body lying in a casket, a semblance of a former self, displayed for grieving family and friends. Cremation didn't appeal to him, either.

MSNBC's Contessa Brewer talks with environmental journalist Mark Harris about the new trend in burials -- going green.

Grave Matters follows a dozen such families who found in “green” burial a more natural, more economic and ultimately more meaningful alternative to the tired and toxic send-off on offer at the local funeral parlor.

A loved one has died and you’re faced with the delicate decision of honoring their remains. Will it be an “ashes to ashes” cremation, which would save space on our overcrowded planet? Or will you go with a traditional “dust to dust” burial—and return your loved one to Mother Earth? If you think either of these choices are 100 percent environmentally friendly, think again.

Memorial Ecosystems was recently featured on The Weather Channel's Forecast Earth.