PULSE
Stay green beyond the grave
When it comes to death, traditionally there have been two options: cremation and burial. Cremation requires fuel to drive a car over 7 000km, with all the carbon emissions associated with that kind of consumption. Burial, on the other hand, has a multitude of ecological problems, including burying thousands of litres of poisonous embalming fluid encased in caskets made from mined metals, toxic plastic and endangered wood. Cemeteries themselves are a controversial use of land, especially in urban areas where land shortage is most acutely felt.
For anyone concerned about a greener lifestyle, it is time to start considering a greener death style too. With the world population at seven billion and an estimated 150 000 deaths globally a day, there is an emerging global conscience concerning how our deaths affect the environment and how to limit that. There are a multitude of green practices available on the death-care market, but ultimately what is the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of yourself when you’re dead?
Want to be buried?
The first thing to go has to be the embalming fluids, a mixture of formaldehyde and rubbing alcohol that all bodies are treated with to delay decomposition prior to a standard burial. It’s poisonous and seeps into the water table. It can be replaced with essential oils, a much gentler alternative to the classic concoction. As for the classic coffin, there are a multitude of biodegradable alternatives that don’t leave toxic residue in the soil.
A radical new concept, the Urban Death Project in Seattle, plans to mimic the natural burial process through “recomposition”. Bodies are housed in urban, three-storey complexes of “stylised pits” in which they are exposed to microbes that decompose bodies, turning them into compost. This allows bodies to be “folded back into the communities where they lived,” says the website.
Thinking of cremation?
In lieu of consuming all those fossil fuels during a traditional cremation, you may consider a “green cremation”. The process of resomation occurs through alkaline hydrolysis — dissolving a body into a fluid. The result is a few bone fragments and
200 litres of sterile, DNA-free liquid that can be returned to the water system. It uses approximately 90% less energy and produces 35% less greenhouse gas emissions, but uses up to 1 000 litres of water per body.
If being dissolved doesn’t appeal to you, there are ways to offset the carbon footprint of a traditional cremation. An American company called Eternal Reefs produces artificial reefs from a composite made of human ashes and marine safe cement, which support marine life in declining coral reefs around the world. Similarly, a company called Bio-Urns produces an urn for cremated remains which comes with a tree seed. Once planted, the urn contains all the nutrients needed to support the growth of the tree, which absorbs the ashes as it grows. It’s a literal interpretation of the phrase life after death.
Ultimately, your exit, much like your life, is wholly dependent on your personal preference. Bear in mind even the most exorbitant and energy expensive burial method pales in comparison to the carbon footprint you are creating right now.
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