Eco-friendly Even After Death
Ever witness family members engaged in heated arguments about how to inter the remains of a dearly beloved, deceased family member? It usually gets really ugly and can lead to estrangement between relatives.
What will happen to my body after I die? Without a doubt, it's a macabre question that most of us don't have the time or desire to answer, but it's a question that's necessary and inevitable for all of us. Either we think about it ourselves and make plans, or our loved ones who want to honor our wishes will have yet another matter to deal with on top of dealing with grief.
Treating the dead and the living with utmost respect and reverence is important, the point is that both the grieving process and caring for the earth that receives the body can be done simultaneously. Green burials are cheaper, less polluting alternatives without compromising the conventional rites of funerals.
It is precisely because the deceased should be honored that makes conventional burial undesirable. In order to conduct an open-casket display, mortuary science trains morticians to use numerous chemicals to embalm the body in order to preserve it for viewing so that loved ones will have a pleasant final viewing. Read this article to find out the process of embalming a body to learn how many chemicals are used in the process.
The chemicals, chiefly formaldehyde, is anything but good for the environment. Then, there's concrete vaults, lands denuded of trees and other impacts on the very earth that receives our remains.
Traditional cemeteries have few or no trees, in others, the grounds have been destroyed through the use of herbicides. Drainage problems can occur and herbicide use leads to water pollution.
Traditional cemeteries can play an important social and environmental role. 2.2 million acres were lost to development according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation report issued for 1997 through 2001. Everyday, development is taking over the natural environments created over eons. A natural burial takes place in a natural environment where native flora and wildlife flourish. A green cemetery provides habitat for endemic birds and animals, returning lands to their native grasses, flowers and shrubs.
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