Alternative ways to be buried or memorialised

Apart from green burials, there are a number of alternative ways to be buried or memorialised. Not all of them are eco-friendly, but they’re certainly different.

NOURISH THE EARTH

Developed by US-based green burial company Coeio, a mushroom burial suit, also known as an infinity burial suit, is a biodegradable shroud made from organic cotton embedded with mushroom spores which filter toxins and deliver nutrients to surrounding plant life.

GROW A TREE

Whole body burial pods take biodegradable burial urns to the next level. They’re not yet commercially available, but two Italian designers are working on the Capsula Mundi project. The idea is to bury the body in a biodegradable egg-shaped pod that will nourish a tree planted on top of it. Cemeteries made up of these pods will eventually turn into large woodlands.

SWIM WITH THE FISHES

You can turn your ashes into a reef ball with US-based charity Eternal Reefs. Cremated ashes are mixed into a pH-neutral concrete to form reef balls that are used to create artificial reefs to assist marine life where natural reef systems are failing.

TRAVEL TO SPACE

With a space burial, you can fulfil your lifelong dreams of travelling beyond Earth. Companies like the US-based Celestis and Beyond Burials offer different flight paths. A small amount of ash can either be launched into space to return to Earth or launched to orbit the Earth or the moon, make a moon landing, or travel into deep space.

DAZZLE ON

Companies like locally based Glash Designs create glass-blown ornaments or jewellery which contain a small amount of your loved one’s ashes.

SING YOUR SONG

Music lovers can become a vinyl record. UK-based company And Vinyly has found a way to press a small quantity of ash into a record of your choice.