79 replies to this topic

[Monkey Doctor]

I think it is such a waste cremating people when the majority of people have bits and ieces that could be vital for the survival of othe people. I guess it's the same if you are buried without donating anything but at least then the organic matter goes back into the earth rather than the atmosphere. There's a burial ground near me where you can be buried and have a tree planted on you. I always thought this is the way I would like to go but the older I get the more I think I will donate my doby to science, that way at least I will be of some use to someobody after I am dead!

[sammilynn]

neodoxa, on 08 October 2011 - 04:34 PM, said:

Personally, I don't want to subject my body to a pit of flames and incineration...  I'd much rather decompose naturally.  I wish there was a way to just get buried without all of the embalming chemicals, but I think that is illegal.  Haha.

But seriously... why do people want to be thrown into an inferno as the last thing their body does on this planet?  Haha.

Neodoxa

Your body is not doing anything in either situation.... you're dead....

i personally don't want to rot in a tiny wood box in the ground... To me, cremation sounds a lot better, and seems more respectful... no rotting in the ground involved.

Monkey Doctor, on 11 October 2011 - 02:57 PM, said:

I think it is such a waste cremating people when the majority of people have bits and ieces that could be vital for the survival of othe people. I guess it's the same if you are buried without donating anything but at least then the organic matter goes back into the earth rather than the atmosphere. There's a burial ground near me where you can be buried and have a tree planted on you. I always thought this is the way I would like to go but the older I get the more I think I will donate my doby to science, that way at least I will be of some use to someobody after I am dead!

If they're going to cremate you, they take any organs that could be used before doing it anyway... only if you agreed to be a donor... they can't take anything (legally) without consent.

I agreed that they can take whatever they want or need from my body after I'm dead... skin, internal organs, eyes, etc... if they can use it, then they should take it... I don't need it anymore after all !!

nick87, on 11 October 2011 - 02:07 PM, said:

Dead bodies are, well, not very environmentally friendly no matter how you dispose of them. The reason coffins are buried 6 feet is so that any runoff won't contaminate water, so I'm a bit uncomfortable with the fact that ashes are able to be in the air we breath and just poured somewhere. On the other hand, I respect that it's someone's last dying wish, and unless there was a direct cause of an illness from it, I wouldn't fight against it.
Personally, I don't want to be cremated because I want to return to the earth as a zombie, and you can't do that if your body is just ashes. I mean, for moral reasons? Yeah, the moral reasons one sounds better (but it's still secretly because of the zombie thing).

The ashes wont have anything toxic in them.

The fire will destroy anything that could and would be harmful to people. Another bonus of cremation... yeah, it seems kind of gross to spread ashes everywhere, but unlike burying people, there isn't any decomposition, so there are no harmful fluids to worry about.

[Yoginitrish]

Bababooey, on 10 October 2011 - 08:50 PM, said:

The business of death is a big industry. The funeral business is incredibly popular, and it's very easy to get grief-stricken family members of pay far for more things that they don't even need. We need to rethink our attitudes toward death if we're ever going to deal with how to dispose of bodies in the most efficient way for the health of the planet.

It is a gigantic industry. But, most reputable funeral homes are not out to dupe grieving family members. I think it is important to make your wishes known before death--then no decisions have to be made. My father just passed and requested cremation. I was okay with it, until the time came. It is still hard for me to comprehend him being gone in every sense of the word. The tradition of burials and tombstones seems to be for the survivors. His ashes will be buried at a national cemetery--so I have some where to go to "speak" to him.
Once our bodies die. That is it. They are of no use. But, still, it is a hard thing to fully comprehend. It is like we just borrow our bodies for a time.

[Green Thumb]

My dogs were buried with their flesh and blood on the ground. They are now one with the earth. I’ve never thought of cremation because I thought I still want to look beautiful when I die wearing the entire fairy white gown in an all-black casket (should I die young) surrounded by sunflowers. What am I thinking? Nyaha! I’ll be dead so what’s the use of looking inspirational (got illuminated after this topic). I’d rather be one with the earth like my dogs, like the old ways of burying one’s dead or I may asked for a more personalized casket, made from nothing more than wood or jar like in the old days. I would definitely stink after some time so I better head to the ground once I’m dead, no more vigil in my wake except when I’m six feet under. They may also throw my body to the sea and be fed to the fish? Would my dead body harm the fishes or contaminate the ocean? But then Osama Bin Laden’s body is thrown in the sea because he is believed to be sinister so I guess this is not a good option. But I definitely would like to be one with the earth when I die where I would still live even when life leaves my body. Maybe in whatever form that is exactly what will happen. We can’t think of being environmentally friendly when we are dead especially with all the customs and beliefs but surely we can contribute much when we are alive so the environment would just hug our dead body when we die.

[zararina]

I also think that it is greener if its the old way of burying just like digging the ground and just lay down the deceased person there without ay casket and chemicals. And since that was not the way of burying deceased people today, cremation could be the greener option. Specially those who decided to just spread the ashes to the sea or some place they would want.

[kat74]

The though of being cremated used to freak me out but after seeing more people going for it, I think its not such a bad ideal after all. One of the world re known environmentalist and 2004 Nobel price winner form Kenya Prof. Wangari Mathai who passed away 2 weeks ago wanted to be cremated so that even in her death she can still conserve the environment, she was created last Saturday and she was given a state funeral for her work in conserving the environment. My home land cremation is not common so she truly opened peoples eyes about it.

[sammilynn]

I always wanted to be cremated, I don't know what I want to happen to my ashes yet, but I want to do it in the most environmentally  friendly way I can.

I never really understood why people were freaked out by the thought of being cremated, Being stuck 6 feet under in a box in the ground sounds a little bit more freaky than cremation. Just my opinion though.

[godarna]

My wish is to be cremated and the heat of the inferno must not be wasted but used for .............? I hope my soul will escape before they throw my corpse in the flames. Curious to know how paradise looks like, because I just got rid of hell.

[Mon-Jes]

My choice would be cremation. (As one poster said, as long as I was truly dead.)

Remember that cemetaries, cities, counties, states, and countries can have laws that dictate that you must be buried a certain way. Not religiously, special "liners" -- if you're buried, you're buried in both a casket and a heavier, outer container, to stabilize the grave so it doesn't collapse as machinery rolls over it (you think they still dig graves by hand nowadays?). Also, should the cemetary flood severely and the dirt wash away, the liners prevent the caskets from flaoting away.

So no matter how well you decompose, if you are buried in an area that requires liners, you're not going to help the soil at all.

[Liv]

I want to be cremated when I die, just personal choice because I don't like the idea of being buried (not that I would know). I agree with the posters who said a burial is about giving the loved ones left behind somewhere to go and pay their respects. I do think changes will have to made because we are going to run out of room, plain and simple.

[jasserEnv]

mariaandrea, on 08 October 2011 - 04:10 PM, said:

LOL! Exactly!

I have always wondered why, especially as we run out of space, we don't bury caskets on-end rather than laying them out. I mean, does it matter if you're standing up if you're dead? It seems like it would save a lot of space and loved-ones would still get that graveside service so many people seem to need.

This is similar to what I was going to comment. If we buried our unprocessed dead vertically in a small box the middle of a forest somewhere with no monuments and maybe little more than a plaque hanging on the branch of a tree, we would pretty beneficial to the environment. Though I am not spiritual it seems like a pretty decent resting place. If we had these sorts of forests in our urban areas, they could serve multiple roles in providing park space for the living, clean air and a spot close to people who might feel a desire to visit.

[sammilynn]

jasserEnv, on 17 October 2011 - 10:15 AM, said:

This is similar to what I was going to comment. If we buried our unprocessed dead vertically in a small box the middle of a forest somewhere with no monuments and maybe little more than a plaque hanging on the branch of a tree, we would pretty beneficial to the environment. Though I am not spiritual it seems like a pretty decent resting place. If we had these sorts of forests in our urban areas, they could serve multiple roles in providing park space for the living, clean air and a spot close to people who might feel a desire to visit.

The only problem with that is the dead body in the ground. You have to be careful because when the body decomposes, the run off can end up in our water, and that's very bad for you.  I can't see this as the environmentally friendly option personally. I like how it can take up less space, but in the end it's the same as a cemetery.

[godarna]

nick87, on 11 October 2011 - 02:07 PM, said:

Personally, I don't want to be cremated because I want to return to the earth as a zombie, and you can't do that if your body is just ashes. I mean, for moral reasons? Yeah, the moral reasons one sounds better (but it's still secretly because of the zombie thing).

Why do you like to come back to earth as a zombie? To haunt us? By the time you'll come back you won't find us anymore. The few that survived the devastating effect of global warming will long be gone to another place. Hope you can appreciate a good joke.

[Ansem]

I think that cremation isn't half as bad as all the crap that comes with it.
The super giant ceremony and stuff, cakes everywhere, all the wasted material and trash left behind.
I think if you can cut back on everything like that, you make up for the cremation.
A person deserves to rest as they please, I also want to be cremated and cast out, rather that than to rot in the ground.

[Eiza]

This is a great question. I'm not certain about the environmental impact of cremation, but I know that some cities do not have space for graveyards. Personally, I would prefer cremation. I don't like the idea of being in a dark hole for all eternity. I remember seeing a program as a child where in Tibet they would take your remains to the top of a mountain and toss parts of you into the air for the birds to eat, bringing with them your spirit. Now that's environmentally friendly!

[criticalthinking]

I don't mind being cremated personally. I used to think I wanted to be buried with a new tree, but I guess it's pretty hard to get buried that way now. I'm sure it depends on where you live, but most places in the U.S. won't let you be buried without at least a vault, because of the water table and all that.

[jasserEnv]

sammilynn, on 17 October 2011 - 07:51 PM, said:

The only problem with that is the dead body in the ground. You have to be careful because when the body decomposes, the run off can end up in our water, and that's very bad for you.  I can't see this as the environmentally friendly option personally. I like how it can take up less space, but in the end it's the same as a cemetery.

The entire forest floor is covered with rotting materials including insects, dead animals and plant matter. This is what continues to build the nutrients in a forest. Having untreated bodies in the ground would not contaminate ground water unless the bodies were buried within 100 feet of a stream, lake or river of some sort. This is highly doable and would be about as consistent with natural processes as you can get.

[wneely]

My wishes are extremely clear.  Any useable parts are to be harvested to help others, and the rest will go to the "body farm" outside of Knoxville, TN.  I love forensics, so being any part of crime solving is appealing to me.

[kristyleann]

I think the greenest option would be to donate your body to a forensic science "body farm" where they just dump your body out and let it rot naturally. Not very "nice" but you wouldn't have a casket taking up usable space which is an issue considering how over populated the world is already...we're running out of room for all the dead people. I think if you were cremated it would cause some polution. If you rotted naturally there is the issue of body fluids seeping into the ground which could be an issue as well, but it would be the most natural way to go and scientists and forensic students would get to study the effects of decomposition which helps science and law enforcement. You'd be taking up "space" for a while, but eventually you'd just rot and return the earth.

I would be perfectly fine with that for myself but I know most people wouldn't be comfortable with that lol

[Shortpoet-GTD]

keywestkeely, on 08 October 2011 - 01:32 PM, said:

I know that there are many who don't agree with the very idea of cremation--either for religious reasons, or because of the fact that it just  "creeps them out"!

As far as the green factor is concerned, do you feel that it's greener to be buried, and somehow let your remains contribute themselves to the soil?

Or do you feel that, with the world's resources dwindling, cremation is a much more considerate alternative for the environment?

Cremation is a high use energy source. Some states are allowing folks to be buried in a cardboard box,
but they're still using chemicals. Bah!
If cremation is the plan, I like this idea. Help the fish build new homes.
http://www.eternalreefs.com/
I'm a donor, and it would be great if they just threw the leftovers in an organic sack, sans chemicals
and stuck me in the ground to feed the worms/flowers.