To embrace and implement strategies that positively exhibit our social, environmental, and economic values in support of our families, employees, and the community in perpetuity.

• Laurel Hill Funeral Home is certified by the Green Burial Council.
• Laurel Hill’s three green burial areas — Nature’s Sanctuary, Bala Green, and Valley View Green — are certified by the Green Burial Council.  Valley View Green is the only green burial area within the City of Philadelphia that is certified by the Green Burial Council.
• Nature’s Sanctuary, Laurel Hill’s first green burial section, is SITES Gold Certified — the first cemetery to ever achieve SITES Gold status
• Laurel Hill was awarded Green Business of the Year in 2025 by the Main Line Chamber of Commerce.
• Nature’s Sanctuary was selected for a Merit Award from the ASLA in the General Design Category
• Nature’s Sanctuary was awarded the Bowman’s Hill Land Ethics Award for Best Large Scale Project
• “Go for the Green” Joseph Manko Lifetime Achievement Award presented by the Lower Merion Township and Narberth Environmental Advisory Councils and their Shade Tree Commissions. This highest honor, part of the annual “Go for the Green” awards, recognizes our ongoing innovation and stewardship of a bucolic landscape that integrates plants, monuments, and green burial for everyone to enjoy.

• Laurel Hill is a member of the Ecological Landscape Alliance 
• Laurel Hill is a member of PA Gardens. Nancy Goldenberg, Laurel Hill President & CEO, serves as Co-Chair of the organization.
• Laurel Hill is a member of Greater Philadelphia Gardens — America’s Garden Capital. Nancy Goldenberg serves on the organization’s executive committee. 
• Nancy Goldenberg served on the Sustainability Steering Committee of Lower Merion Township

At Laurel Hill, we understand the importance and value of the land and do our best to keep it healthy and productive. We focus on biodiversity protection and enhancement, reducing our carbon footprint, and maintaining a recreational and visually-pleasing venue for our visitors.

TreeKeeper is used to manage and measure the environmental impact of our plant collections. You can see the real-time benefits of our collection here: TreeKeeper

Thousands of tulip, daffodil, hyacinth, and lily bulbs have been repurposed from spring containers since 2019.

Hundreds of new trees and shrubs were planted along with thousands of perennials and bulbs, adding diversity to the ecosystem and beauty to the grounds.

Laurel Hill has received grants to support the removal of invasive vegetation and the installation of approximately three acres of native landscape on the slopes of Laurel Hill East along Kelly Drive and West Hunting Avenue. You can learn more about the Hillside Ecological Restoration project in the Work in Progress section of our site.

Laurel Hill’s Sustainability Squad keeps current on trends and innovative products that can save energy, waste, and water through the following ways:

• Laurel Hill’s operation staff monitors and records gas usage. Gas usage was recorded lower in 2025 compared to 2024.
• Utilize a professional recycling company. Laurel Hill partners with Rabbit Recycling for various recycling needs, including on-site recycling and disposal/recycling drives.
• Gatehouse restoration project incorporated sustainable construction practices. Contractors used Burns Dumpsters for debris removal, which targets 607% of construction debris for recycling and repurposing. This project also installed American Standard high-efficiency toilets, which are certified by the EPA’s WaterSense program.
• Green efforts in the IT Department have focused on improving energy efficiency and reducing the staff’s environmental footprint. These include: moving toward the purchase of more Energy Star-certified devices such as laptops, monitors, and printers; reducing the number of on-premise servers through consolidation and virtualization; installation of occupancy sensors in key public areas to reduce energy use due to lighting; and encouraging document sharing and collaboration through OneDrive, SharePoint, and Teams to minimize paper usage.
• Throughout the grounds, a range of battery-powered equipment is utilized at Laurel Hill and include: Augers used for digging holes to plant perennials and shrubs; mowers used to mow grass at Nature’s Sanctuary and the Medallion Garden; multi-tool with string-trimmer, hedge trimmer, and blade trimmer used in Nature’s Sanctuary and throughout cemetery; battery-powered chainsaw.
• The horticulture team also uses hundreds of gallons of horticultural vinegar as a replacement to glyphosate (RoundUp®) for weed control.

Laurel Hill actively celebrates its history in new and creative ways, engaging new and returning audiences in its innovative programming and educational seminars and reinvigorating its commitment to the communities we serve.

• Engage with and educate local communities interested in learning more about Laurel Hill’s green burial and horticulture practices through presentations and panel discussions
• Offer tours of the arboretum year-round
• Partner with green-minded non-profit organizations such as the Sustainable Business Network of Greater Philadelphia, Green Philly, and the Philly Goat Project
• Create and host unique and educational sustainable programs and tours