3 ways to get rid of a dead body
Leta Keane
3 ways to get rid of a dead body
3 ways to
get rid of
a dead
body
green
return
to the earth
- Leta
- they/she
- Future dead person
- Not particularly macabre
- Likes the planet a lot
- Interested in
not being a butthead
Good Death
Green burial
1.
Professionals
Embalming
eternal rest under a grass lawn in a vault and sealed casket
Family + Community
Embalming
eternal rest under a grass lawn in a vault and sealed casket
Family + Community
Non-invasive care
eternal rest under a grass lawn in a vault and sealed casket
Family + Community
Non-invasive care
Eternal rest in a cemetery but not sealed up to turn into person-soup
Family + Community
Non-invasive care
Eternal rest but just, like, in the woods or a meadow somewhere
water cremation
2.
AKA aquamation
AKA alkaline hydrolysis
Isn't regular cremation already a green alternative to burial?
yes ok fine this is basically a fancy, legal version of a lye bath
Is it really green?
- uses 90% less energy than flame cremation
- doesn't emit mercury
- the resulting liquid is free of pathogens and heavy metals and can be safely used outdoors
image of Parting Stones (solidified ashes) from Be A Tree Cremation
Human composting
3.
AKA natural organic reduction
Ashes to ashes is all well and good, but maybe we could get a little more creative here
body
+ sustainably harvested plant material
+ naturally occurring microbes
+ HEAT
+ PRESSURE
= Compost
image from Return Home, a natural organic reduction facility in Washington
natural
burial
water
cremation
Human
composting
death can be scary.
Let's talk about it.
Green Burial Council
