Biodegradable Human Body
Approximately 6500 people die everyday leaving the world struggling to find a place for their dead body. Cities are struggling to find locations for cemeteries as they are an extremely unproductive and inefficient usage of land. Cemeteries provide very minimal financial income, have extremely negative effects on the environment, and are overall believed to be an unlucky place. To help with population increase some cities, like Berlin, are transitioning their cemeteries into housing or parks leaving the dead with fewer and fewer options. In order to combat these problems, different ways to dispose of dead bodies have been developed including cremation and replanting ashes.???(idk man)
Traditional burials are unsustainable and lead to large amounts of metals and chemicals contaminating the surrounding soil. The completion of traditional caskets requires wooden boards, copper, bronze, steel, and concrete, however, it is extremely wasteful to be burying these sought-after materials in the ground. It is estimated that around 4 million acres of forests are used every year for caskets in the US alone. Not only are caskets extremely wasteful, but they result in embalming fluids leaking and contaminating the soil and groundwater. Embalming fluids contain chemicals such as methanol, formaldehyde, and glutaraldehyde, all of which are extremely toxic and deathly to consume.
Another popular option is cremation which is when intense heat is used to turn human remains into ash. Cremation is also extremely harmful for the environment, but not nearly as damaging compared to traditional burials. Through the process of burning, many toxic and harmful chemicals are released into the atmosphere such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and mercury. In addition, burying cremated remains is detrimental to all plants surrounding them. Human ashes contain high amounts of salt which are toxic for most plants. Human ashes also contain important elements such as calcium, but are lacking elements such as manganese or carbon. This nutrient imbalance will severely stunt the growth of plants and prevent photosynthesis from occurring. In order to combat these imbalances in the soil, funerary homes must use high amounts of water, pesticides, and fertilizers in order to maintain the appearance of healthy green grass.
Burial and cremation, although extremely common, often negatively impact the environment, contributing to the global warming crisis. In an attempt to alleviate this problem, some people have developed more environmentally friendly ways to interr bodies. One of these methods is called a green burial which involves biodegradable materials and they are often located under trees or near bodies of water. Another more eco-friendly method is an ash burial that is performed by the company Living Legacy Forest. This company has developed a method that converts human ashes into micronutrients that can be planted at the base of a tree in order to help it grow. This process not only helps plants grow instead of thwarting their growth, but also allows people to live again through the tree. Another company Let Your Love Grow formulates an organic planting mixture that lowers the pH levels while safely diluting the harmful sodium of cremated ashes. However, both of these companies’ claims have not been confirmed and researchers say that there has not been enough research done on the effect of ashes on soil to confirm their claims.
Another approach to make interring bodies more environmentally friendly is by making the materials biodegradable such as the urns and coffins. There are many different kinds of biodegradable options such as choosing woven fibers, like bamboo, seagrass, or cotton. These woven materials are quickly renewable, further reducing their carbon footprint. However, woven fiber caskets are the most expensive option because of the intricacies involved in weaving. Another more affordable casket are ones made out of soft wood or cardboard. Softwood still allows the person to be buried in a wood casket, however, the natural wood decomposes much faster compared to hardwood caskets which have toxic sealants and glues preventing it from decomposing. Cardboard caskets are one of the most biodegradable, customizable, and budget-friendly options available. They are made from recyclable materials and contain no metal meaning it will easily decompose into the soil. Additionally, there are also biodegradable urns made of paper, fiber, or rock salt in which the person’s ashes are placed onto these materials and the urn is placed into an environment where it can easily be decomposed such as under a tree or the sea.
Science and innovation has been used to combat a detrimental problem by offering alternatives to environmentally damaging methods of interring the deceased. The world’s population will only continue to grow and soon the funerary industry will be unable to sustain any more deaths.