Alternative Burials

I chose to this observational activity on an article I found titled “After Death: 8 Burial Alternatives That Are Going Mainstream.” I randomly stumbled upon this article after researching eco-friendly/bio-degradable caskets and “natural” cemeteries. This article discusses eight ways a person's body can be buried or rather handled after death that are not mainstream (ex. wood casket placed in a cement vault or cremation.) One alternative mentioned is resomation. Anderson-McQueen funeral home in St. Petersburg, Florida is currently the only place in the U.S. that offers this service. This option allows a patron to have their tissues dissolved as an alternative to traditional cremation. The process is called resomation or “bio-cremation” and uses heated water and potassium hydroxide to liquefy the body, leaving only bones behind. The bones are then pulverized much like cremation and the bone fragments are then given to the family. This process is considered to be a more environmental friendly process compared to traditional cremation (less emissions and carbon footprint.) Georgia based Eternal Reefs creates artificial reef material out of a mixture of concrete and human remains. These heavy concrete orbs are then placed in areas where reefs need restoration, attracting fish and other organisms that turn the remains into an undersea habitat. Perfect for those water lovers. And of course there is cryonics, the process of freezing a person's body in hopes that later medical science will make it possible to revive them, personality and memory intact. One disadvantage to this process is the toxicity of chemicals used in an attempt to prevent damage to cells from freezing. The price is also a Debbie downer - $200,000 for whole body preservation and a head only preservation will run you $80,000. One last alternative I would like to mention is mummification. It's not just for Egyptians anymore. A religious organization called Summum, founded in 1975, offers