Let’s start with an urn. Natural cremation urns or biodegradable urns can most certainly be considered something that doesn’t have toxic materials in it, biodegrades in the earth or water in the case of the Peaceful Pillow, and was not transported a great distance to get into your hands. One of those natural urns is the Peace Pillow Water Burial Urn, approved by the Green Burial Council in New Mexico.
Another consideration is the amount of energy that is being used to cremate a body. There is a huge amount of fuel that is being burned to completely cremate a body. One terrific idea was to create a dish in the desert, see the urn for an interesting idea about solar cremation.
The Earth’s environment had more than enough pollutants that have already created big damages to nature. When you watch the news or read the papers, you could often hear news about groups of people using different styles and strategies to promote the preservation of the environment. You could help by choosing an alternative to traditional burial method that will not harm the environment.
There are mainly two options for traditional burial alternatives and these are cremation and green burials. In the cremation process, the body of the deceased will be incinerated in a specially made furnace that is capable of producing intense heat. The length or duration of the cremation process will depend on the kind of furnace to be used. There are modern furnaces that are capable of cremating the body in a shorter period of time.
You will need to buy an urn or a special container where the remains of the deceased will be put. You will not need to buy an expensive casket made with metals and other non-biodegradable materials that is meant to be buried under the ground. These materials will remain under the ground so imagine how much metal is now buried under the earth. Those metals could have been used for other things instead of just being buried there.
After the cremation process, you will decide whether you will want to keep the ashes with you, scatter them on land, water, or air, or bury them. If you will bury the ashes, it is advisable to choose an urn that is made of biodegradable materials like paper and wood.
Another option is the green burial. This kind of burial is just starting to gain popularity and is still facing a lot of controversies. One of the issues about this kind of burial is the issue of health and safety. In green burials, the body will not be embalmed. This is because embalming fluids are being used and these fluids contain formaldehyde which is a very dangerous chemical. When the body is buried underground, these chemicals could get into ground water and could cause sickness and other health problems.
But according to some health experts, embalming does not guarantee health safety and benefits. Not doing so doesn’t also mean that there will be a risk to other people’s health. In fact, there is no particular law that requires all the corpses to undergo the embalming process.
Then the use of biodegradable coffins is a must for green burials. Just like biodegradable urns, these coffins can be made of wood or paper. Then the body will be buried in a dedicated green burial cemetery. You can usually find preserved landscape in green burial cemeteries. The decomposition of the human body buried under these grounds aids in the growth of trees and plants forming a great habitat for other animals and wildlife.
The choice will still be up to you but no matter which of the two options you choose, you can be sure that you will not cause damage to the environment and instead, you could help in preserving the natural beauty and condition of the earth.