Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.
Green burials are an increasingly popular option.
At times we don’t get to choose how we leave this earth, but we can choose how we leave the environment.
While we’re alive, it’s the little, everyday things such as using a reusable water bottle, recycling, conserving water and electricity, and making sustainable choices that can help protect the earth.
However, there are ways to protect the environment even in the afterlife. Imagine your body still contributing to the earth after death, supplying the ground with nutrients that continue to create life long after your departure.
Even though death planning may not be at the top of your mind, consider choosing a natural green burial for you or your loved ones.
What is a green burial?
According to Green Burial Naturally, a green burial is a way of disposing of remains without formaldehyde-based embalming, cremation or environmentally unfriendly concrete burial vaults. Green burials usually take place in a shroud or a biodegradable casket. This way of burying our dead is simple and focuses on sustainability, with the earth and how we leave it in mind.
“Since we are all a part of the earth’s ecosystem, it seems fitting that whatever I decompose into should be offered back to that system,” says founder and CEO of Plant Solutions, Joe Zazzera on his reason for wanting a green burial.
Zazzera’s company stresses the concept of biophilia, the innate human instinct to connect with nature and other living things. In the case of green burials, not only can humans connect with nature during their lifetime, but their connection can remain long after their time on earth.
Did you know that each year more than 300,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide are released from the dead in the United States due to cremation? Also, over 20 million board feet of hardwood, 17,000 tons of copper and bronze, 64,500 tons of steel and 1.6 tons of reinforced concrete in vaults are used to bury the dead according to the Green Burial Council.
Choosing a Green Burial
Choosing a green burial for you or your loved ones has the potential to make a lasting positive, environmental impact. Decomposition can benefit the ecosystem it is placed in, offering the ability to grow new life while conserving natural resources.
There are many ways to leave your mark on this earth, but how do you want to leave your environmental legacy?