Cremation, as a choice when we die, was almost unheard of even in the late 1800’s, but now around 80% of us choose it as our preferred method over burial.
The environmental problem with cremations is that each one releases around 250kg of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and with around 500,000 deaths on average each year in the UK, that’s 400,000 cremations and a staggering 25 million tons of CO2 each year.
But, cremation and burial aren’t the only two options available to us now. With our views fixed firmly on looking after our planet while we’re alive, it’s only right we should do our best when we die too.
So, what are the options out there for looking after the planet once you’ve gone?
Become a Coral Reef
US based company ‘Eternal Reefs'( https://www.eternalreefs.com/ ) was started by two friends from Florida who were looking for ways to protect the coral reefs that they could see were dying out as they went diving.
After considerable research into finding the most environmentally friendly product, they are now able to mix cremated remains with concrete to form a ‘pearl’ which is lowered to the ocean floor to create a natural habitat for fish and other marine life.
Feed A Tree
Why not be buried in a biodegradable pot along with a tree seed? That’s the idea from UK company ‘Urns for Ashes'( https://www.urnsforashes.co.uk/ ), who provide all manner of urns.
The ‘bio urn tree’ houses, not only your ashes, but also the seed of a tree of your choice, so when the tree grows, the urn decomposes, and it, along with your ashes, provides nourishment and fertilizes growth.
What better way to ensure your legacy lives on?
Get Wrapped in a Woolly Coffin
Eco-friendly coffins as an option have been around for some time with funeral homes, and wicker and cardboard have emerged as the preferred options to wood.
But, there are other, more eco-friendly, sustainable options on the market.
There is a company in Yorkshire, ‘Hainsworth’ https://www.hainsworth.co.uk/ who will deliver you a WOOL coffin. The coffin is lined with cardboard and you have the option to decorate it. The added benefits, not simply from a sustainability point of view are that the coffin is easier on the eye for younger mourners and certainly easier on the touch. And what’s more the environmental impact of such a choice is negligible as the whole coffin is bio-degradable.
Get Flushed Down the Drain
Resomation, alkaline hydrolysis or water cremation
The whole process of resomation sounds particularly unpleasant but from an environmental point of view, it’s head and shoulders above a traditional flame cremation.
What is involved?
The body is placed into a large metal container, a little bigger than a coffin and a solution of 95% warm water and 5% potassium hydroxide is added. This solution is heated to 180 degrees C, a good 800 degrees less than a normal cremation, reducing gas emissions by 35%.
Inside the container, the solution dissolves the fat and tissue naturally from the body, leaving just the bones. The remains can be returned to the water cycle and treated at a water plant like any other waste water. The bones can be ground into ashes and returned to the family like a normal cremation.
Resomation is practiced across many US states and Canada and there is a lot of interest from other European countries, however, the UK is still steadfastly holding out. But it is probably only a matter of time with the company Resomation ( https://resomation.com/ ) already making waves (ahem).
And there you have it. A selection of viable options to dispose of your, or your loved one’s remains, that are not only good for the environment but will also sustain it.