There comes a time in life when each of us must sit down and plan our afterlife, to the extent we can. Should we be buried? Cremated? Donate our organs?

Planning our literal after life procedures can be tricky, especially for the eco-conscious as burial and cremation processes tend to use large amounts of harsh chemicals.

If you are looking for a green life after death, consider an option offered by the Neptune Society. The Neptune Memorial Reef is owned and operated by a leader in cremation services and exists as "a unique option for cremated remains and provides an extraordinary eternal resting place for the departed," according to the Neptune Society.

Here's how it works: after cremation, ashes are taken to their final resting place in the Atlantic Ocean approximately three miles east of Miami to Neptune's rendering of the Atlantis, the Lost City, and placed within the cement structures.

The structures are made of cement and ashes provide habitat for coral and other sea life that inhabit reefs. This helps to rebuild lost reefs and so far, is quite a success. A December 2008 Department of Environmental Resources Management survey indicated that more than 1500 fish from 35 species were found at Neptune compared 1,000 fish from 29 species nine months before.

Rest assured, your remains will be enjoyed by all including scuba divers and biologists who are regularly visiting the reef. Additionally, the reef has earned certification by the Green Burial Council, an organization that ensures burial and cremations are conducted using sustainable materials so as not to impact Mother Earth.

For those love birds that can not imagine spending your green life after death without one another, you can arrange for a burial column, a concept similar to a family plot.

Planning a green after life is vital to any eco-minded soul. How can one practice a lifetime of environmentally safety and not consider post life procedures? Often, burial and cremation will add pollution, emissions, energy consumption, use of raw materials and so on, which in effect, start to unravel a life time of green living.

Cremation and placement in reef that is specifically built to maintain the environment is a tribute to the planet and to green living.

Besides, after all of that green living work, who wouldn't want to spend eternity in the warm waters of the southeast amongst tropical sea life?

If cremation is not for you, consider other green burial options.

{Photo from http://www.nmreef.com/}