As the green movement reveals its reach, proponents prove that no aspect of life is without an outlet for applied sustainability. Take green burial, in which a casket is replaced with a biodegradable box or shroud that allows a body to decompose freely.
So what does a green burial look like? Picture the following setting: A body completely wrapped in quite a few yards of cloth, with four friends and family members on hand to cautiously lower it into the ground. There is no vault, no liner, and no embalming chemicals. Embalming fluid contains toxic chemicals -- including up to three gallons of formaldehyde -- that can seep into soil and ground water. What few people may know is that embalming is unnecessary, and it’s rarely required by law.
Soon the plain grave is covered with Earth, with a knoll of dirt on top to compensate for settling that will happen over time. There is no marker here, just native foliage. The backdrop doesn’t look so much like a cemetery, but more like a nature conservancy.
A similar wood casket is buried in a traditional cemetery. Instead of a cement vault that surrounds it, a liner goes on top. Similar to an upside-down shoebox, there is no bottom, and the casket, sitting directly on the dirt, decomposes in time, along with the body inside.
As a society, we should look for a means of closure that is more natural. There is no disgrace in surrendering our loved ones, and eventually ourselves, to the embrace of the earth. It is a ritual of reunion between body and soil, not to be restrained by artificial preservation. This is, perhaps, the ultimate gesture of reuse and renewal.
Sustainability, it seems, can be practiced in all aspects of one’s life, including death.
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