Eco Friendly Funerals

Why Consider an Eco Friendly Funeral:

For individuals who have led an environment friendly life, the ultimate end to a fruitful life will definitely be an eco friendly funeral. These funerals have been popular in the UK for sometime and are now growing in popularity in the US.

One of the most environment friendly funeral options is to have a cremation. However, due to the burning of fossil fuels and the carbon emissions produced this form of burial is not considered to be completely environment friendly.

Inventions in Eco Friendly Funerals:

Environment friendly funerals use a number of innovative inventions to ensure that a person’s final resting place is eco friendly. Some of the options include coffins made out of cardboard or paper, which is biodegradable. Other eco friendly coffins are made of bamboo, cane, or a moss lined woven willow casket.

Cardboard Coffins:

Cardboard coffins are another eco-friendly and cost-efficient burial solution. These coffins are made of double thick corrugated cardboard with an additional internal lining for support. These coffins are made of recycled cardboard. Another environment friendly coffin is the Ecopod. Produced in the UK and exported, this is a kayak-shaped coffin that is made out of recycled newspapers.

The Benefit of Having an Eco Funeral:

An added benefit of eco–friendly funerals is that they eliminate the need for embalming chemicals such as formaldehyde or chemical lawn treatments, which, when the body decomposes, can be harmful for the environment.

Memorial Plaques and Their Alternatives:

By restricting memorial plaques to ground level, land that is used only for burials can be used for other purposes as well. Burial grounds with proper landscaping and floral arrangements would look more like parks and can be enjoyed by the living instead of being a place that is visited only on Memorial Day and other anniversaries. One of the practices observed in green funerals is to plant a tree over the site of burial instead of using a burial plaque. This adds to the environment friendly nature of the funeral by utilizing the nutrients generated by the body composting.

Alternatives to Eco-Friendly Burials:

An alternative to such eco-friendly burials is to arrange a sea burial. In order to opt for a sea burial, families have to register the death, obtain a permit from the local authorities, and prepare the body and coffin according to standards set by United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).