Encouraging Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Conventional Methods in the Death Care Industry
Lindsay Becker
Kurt Dershem
Environmental Ethics
4 April 2013
Encouraging Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Conventional Methods in the Death Care Industry There are over 7 billion people living on this planet today and in one hundred years, almost every single person will have died. After a person dies, what happens to them? The question may be misleading because it is not asking about the afterlife for the individual; the question is asking about the person’s remains after passing. An uncomfortable topic for most people, but it is an important topic for those wishing to make changes in how we have affected, and continue to affect the earth after death. There has been a great push in recent years to curb the excessive amount of waste that humans produce in their lifetime. Many people are “turning over a new leaf” and trying to lead a more eco-friendly lifestyle. All of these changes have been slowly gaining mainstream attention, but there is a major component that is being overlooked. The problem is that humans continue to pollute the earth, even after death. Eco-friendly options are available, and should be utilized, as alternatives to the conventional practices in the modern death care industry.
A general funeral service in the United States includes preparation of the body through embalming and other preservation techniques, the use of a casket, a viewing and funeral service for friends and family, and burial in a cemetery. Some individuals opt for cremation, but in 2003, only 30% of Americans were cremated (Kim). Each part of the process is an opportunity for waste to be created and unnecessary steps to be taken, including steps that could cost the family of the deceased hundreds, even thousands, of dollars that don’t need to be spent.
The process of embalming is mostly credited to ancient Egyptians, who developed the technique for religious (preserving the body for the return of the soul) and sanitation (Nile flooding often caused bodies that were buried
Kurt Dershem
Environmental Ethics
4 April 2013
Encouraging Eco-Friendly Alternatives to Conventional Methods in the Death Care Industry There are over 7 billion people living on this planet today and in one hundred years, almost every single person will have died. After a person dies, what happens to them? The question may be misleading because it is not asking about the afterlife for the individual; the question is asking about the person’s remains after passing. An uncomfortable topic for most people, but it is an important topic for those wishing to make changes in how we have affected, and continue to affect the earth after death. There has been a great push in recent years to curb the excessive amount of waste that humans produce in their lifetime. Many people are “turning over a new leaf” and trying to lead a more eco-friendly lifestyle. All of these changes have been slowly gaining mainstream attention, but there is a major component that is being overlooked. The problem is that humans continue to pollute the earth, even after death. Eco-friendly options are available, and should be utilized, as alternatives to the conventional practices in the modern death care industry.
A general funeral service in the United States includes preparation of the body through embalming and other preservation techniques, the use of a casket, a viewing and funeral service for friends and family, and burial in a cemetery. Some individuals opt for cremation, but in 2003, only 30% of Americans were cremated (Kim). Each part of the process is an opportunity for waste to be created and unnecessary steps to be taken, including steps that could cost the family of the deceased hundreds, even thousands, of dollars that don’t need to be spent.
The process of embalming is mostly credited to ancient Egyptians, who developed the technique for religious (preserving the body for the return of the soul) and sanitation (Nile flooding often caused bodies that were buried
Cited: D’Estries, Michael. “Resomation: Your new high-tech option for eco-friendly burial.” (19 August 2007). Groovy Green. Accessed 27 March 2013. http://www.groovygreen.com/groove/?p=1706 Foxfield Preserve Environmental Protection Agency (E.P.A.). (2010). Accessed 2 April 2013. http://www.epa.gov/waste/basic-solid.hmt Gibbs, Lisa and Mangla, Ismat Sarah Holst, Karen. “Swedish green burial firm to turn frozen corpses into compost.” (13 April 2011). The Local. Accessed 27 March 2013. http://www.thelocal.se/33178/20110413/#.UVKbQRzUJX9 Kim, Michelle Rostad, Curtis D. “History of embalming.” (2011). Barton Family Funeral Service. Accessed 27 March 2013. http://bartonfuneral.com/funeral-basics/history-of-embalming/ Seven Ponds United Press International. “UK firm: Don’t burn bodies, boil them.” Physorg News (6 August 2007). Accessed 27 March 2013. http://phys.org/news105641250.html