Death may be inevitable, but how you actually dispose of your body isn’t, and there are quite a few creative options out there for you. Some alternatives to traditional burials boast positive environmental effects, while others allow you to creatively think beyond the ho-hum traditional burial or cremation.
These five death care options put the “fun” in funeral.
1. Natural burial
The natural burial movement began in 1998, when an all-natural cemetery opened in South Carolina, Mark Harris, the author of “Grave Matters: A Journey through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial,” told Live Science.
Burial Ground Plans Include Natural Site At Northwood #greenburials via @Myinforms_EN https://t.co/paqODNVLkS pic.twitter.com/byWBZIuHlU
— Capsula Mundi (@capsula_mundi) March 2, 2016
Natural burials involve wrapping a body in a shroud or biodegradable casket, Live Science reported. Bodies buried naturally are not embalmed, and grave sites often serve as nature preserves and lack the concrete vaults found in conventional cemeteries.
Great comparison of #naturalburial and conventional. #sustainability #GoGreen
Thx https://t.co/qiYa63DkRP! pic.twitter.com/9tmyHNRHan— Foxfield Preserve (@FoxfieldPreserv) February 12, 2016
“Most people, when they find out what happens in the embalming room, they’re pretty horrified,” Harris told Live Science. “They can’t believe the cost, which is outrageous, and then there is this growing concern about the environmental effects of all of these procedures and of all of the goods and resources devoted to this modern method.”
2. Eternal reefs
If you long to be under the sea, eternal reefs may be an attractive option for your final resting place. Your cremated remains are mixed with concrete and molded into a hollow, perforated “reef ball,” which is then submerged in an area where coral reefs need restoration, Garry Rogers, a former homicide detective and forensic coroner, wrote on the Huffington Post.
Eternal Reefs Can Turn Your Remains into a Habitat for Marine Life http://t.co/hiEcydpLlR – #Inhabitat pic.twitter.com/2U5ApCnvCs
— RS (@randomshandom) November 2, 2014
The ball becomes the basis of new reef growth, attracting fish and aquatic wildlife and helping to restore a depleted marine habitat.
“Brilliantly designed, the balls are made of Ph-neutral concrete and are round, hollow, and perforated to allow the flow of water and population by marine life,” Rogers wrote.
