4. Every Year in the US:
• 827,060 gallons of embalming fluid
• 104,272 ton of steels for caskets and
vaults
• 5.4 million pounds of copper for lining
caskets
• 30 million board feet of hard woods
for caskets (including tropical)
• 1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete
for burial vaults
5. What about cremation?
• About 20% done out of
environmental concern
• However, for the amount of non-
renewable fossil fuel for
cremations in US in 1 year, you
could drive to the moon and
back….84 times!
• Can result in airborne toxins
6. Natural Burial
• Alternate method of burial
• Natural materials used for casket
or shroud
• Natural grave markers
• GPS to locate
7.
8. History
• Movement began in the UK
– Carlisle Cemetery (1993)
• Popularity increasing in the US
– Ramsey Creek Preserve, South
Carolina (1998)
• Not really a new idea….
9. Green Burial Council
• Founded by Joe & Juliette Sehee
in 2005
• Approves sites and materials
• Tries to bring in the funeral
industry, rather than compete
with it
11. Green in more ways
than one…
• Funeral industry – 11 billion annually
• Traditional funerals can range from
$6,000 to $20,000. Natural burials
are often much less expensive.
• Plus, money goes towards preserving a
green space for the future
12. Locations
• There are no exclusive natural
burial sites in Maryland
• There are at least three eastern
shore locations that offer a
designated space for natural
burial
13. Other green options
• Eternal Reefs
• Artificial reefs cast from
environmentally safe concrete
and cremated remains
• Used to create new marine
habitats for fish and other sea
creatures
14. Swedish Company
Promessa
• Freeze body (-18C)
• Submerge into liquid nitrogen
• Shocked with mechanical
vibrations
• Placed in a vacuum chamber
• Suggestion: put remains in a
cornstarch coffin
-some embalming fluid contains formaldehyde (a carcinogen)-manufacturing & transportation of vaults uses energy & causes carbon emissions
-CO2, SO2, HF, HCI, Dioxin, MercuryCremation uses far fewer resources than almost any other disposition option but it certainly has an environmental impact. Cremation burns fossil fuels, and some older cremation facilities can use significantly more energy compared to newer ones. Mercury is also emitted when a person with dental amalgam fillings is cremated, but effective filtration devices that can fully mitigate mercury pollution are expected to be on the market in 2011. The GBC has recently begun working with the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) to promulgate standards for more eco-friendly cremation and will be encouraging ways of “greening up” the cremation process by making available to consumers options for recycling medical parts, choosing a more fuel-efficient cremation container, and participating in a disposition program that has some positive environmental purpose, such as creating marine habitat or generating money to facilitate conservation.
Natural burials eliminate the need for embalming fluids or other preservatives, and caskets are made from biodegradable materials such as recycled paper and alternative fibers. The land is rescued from further development, and provides good habitat for native plants and wildlife. Besides having a simple, natural marker, the grave site is often also locatable by GPS. Natural burials are significantly lower in cost than the traditional ones, ranging from $200 - $2,000.
“It seems more of a beginning than an ending.” Eternal Reefs’ slogan is more accurate than one might expect from a funerary business. Their organization uses cremated remains to create a reef that, once placed in the ocean, offers a cozy habitat for fish and various other marine denizens for a predicted 500 years to come.http://www.kmvt.com/news/local/Price-of-Passing-away-Part-3-115918439.htmlhttp://naturalburial.coop/USA/http://www.eternalreefs.com/?gclid=CK_Ww9KUq6gCFUiK4AodXlwTHQhttp://www.eternalreefs.com/about/video.html#weatherchannelhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g1DRPoEzxo&feature=player_embedded
The body is frozen to around -18C and then placed in liquid nitrogen. This allows the body to become brittle so that when it is shocked by the vibrations, it shatters into powder. The powder form is placed into a vacuum where all water boils instantly and evaporates, removing 70% of the body’s mass, leaving only organic materials, mercury, and metal parts (pacemakers, etc.). “The company recommends placing the remains in cornstarch coffin which should be buried in a plot that allows the remains to break down into compost within a year-and-a-half.”http://jamespattonfuneraldirectors.wordpress.com/2011/03/12/swedish-company-promessa-offers-to-freeze-and-explode-your-corpse/http://gizmodo.com/#!5778506/having-your-body-shattered-like-a-frozen-liquid-terminator-is-good-for-the-earth
