6 ms·

Why can't people just opt to be buried without embalming or a casket? Sounds like a nice way to go buried whole and maybe with some sort of tree seed that grows

Why can't people just opt to be buried without embalming or a casket? Sounds like a nice way to go buried whole and maybe with some sort of tree seed that grows over where you are laid. Not going to lie on a personal level, the composting process sounds terrible.

BBC-vs-neolibs 5y ago
Cardboard caskets are half-way there.
djaychela 5y ago
I think there is the option (at least in the UK [1]) to be buried in a coffin which is quickly biodegradable, thereby speeding up the recycling process. [1] - https://naturalendings.co.uk/green-coffins/ https://naturalendings.co.uk/green-coffins/
- rapnie 5y ago
  There's this Dutch startup growing coffins with fungus. https://futurism.com/living-cocoon-coffin-fungus https://futurism.com/living-cocoon-coffin-fungus
greenburial 5y ago
"Green Burials" [1] are gaining in popularity. Sadly I know this because a young person that committed suicide opted for such a burial. I imagine the older generations are more concerned with tradition and religion. [1] https://www.nhfuneral.org/green-burial-cemeteries-in-the-us-and-canada.html https://www.nhfuneral.org/green-burial-cemeteries-in-the-us-...
rjbwork 5y ago
Personally I'd opt for a Mongolian style sky burial. They just take you out onto a mountainside, cut you up a little bit, and the carrion birds and other animals come to eat you up. Seems like the quickest way to return your elements to the earth.
- Y_Y 5y ago
  That beautiful circle of life is why I'm so keen on eating Mongolian vulture meat.
  - dang 5y ago
    Please don't do this here.
    - rjbwork 5y ago
      Hey dang, I don't actually understand what the above poster did wrong or why they were downvoted so heavily or why you felt the need to personally reprimand them. Not saying you or anyone else is wrong for doing so, but I feel like something must be going over my head. Can you enlighten me?
      - Y_Y 5y ago
        If it helps, I'm not sure either. It wasn't a particularly clever joke, and it was a bit gross. I didn't expect to be told off though.
        dang 5y ago
        I post that particular moderation line a lot in a very specific kind of context, which this felt like an example of to me - but I didn't mean it to be a big deal, nor to come down hard on you. I'm sorry if it felt that way!
      - dang 5y ago
        It wasn't a deep move, just a standard response to an unsubstantive comment, perhaps with a small multiplier for subject matter. If that still doesn't make sense I'm happy to call it a misfire.
        rjbwork 5y ago
        Fair enough. I personally found it a macabre and funny yet unoffensive little quip - something to bring a bit of harmless levity to a fairly sober context. It made me chuckle anyway.
mardifoufs 5y ago
That's usually how Muslims do it. Though we usually use very simple wooden caskets to ease transportation and handling . We usually also bury the corpse 24h or less after death, since we traditionally couldn't preserve it ( though refrigeration made that possible without embalming)
- TchoBeer 5y ago
  Interesting how jews have this too. I wonder where this practice came from.
  - mardifoufs 5y ago
    That's interesting, I didn't know we had that in common. Islam takes a lot from Judaism so I guess it shouldn't be surprising. If I had to guess about why it needs to be so fast though, it is probably not a good idea to not bury someone very very quickly in the middle east. As for the very simple caskets, in Islam it is because we are supposed to be all equal in death so going with expensive tombstones or caskets would be very frowned upon. That's why a Muslim cemetery is usually very "minimalistic" and the tombstones very simple.
    - slim 5y ago
      I'd add (because it's not obvious from what you said) that the gasket does not go into the tomb. The corpse goes enveloped in white gaze. And before the transportation the corpse is cleaned with water and perfumed with safran.
boringg 5y ago
What about getting set up on pyre in Varanasi? To be fair, not really a green option (CO2 emissions) but feels a bit more natural than being buried
- manquer 5y ago
  CO2 is least of the problems with varansi. From disease vectors to river pollution there is ton of issues with it.
rsynnott 5y ago
Enbalming isn't universal; AFAIK it's forbidden, or at least discouraged, in Judaism and Islam, say. Coffins also aren't universal (but can be made biodegradable, anyway)
- TchoBeer 5y ago
  Interestingly, though modern Jewish practice is to prohibit embalming, Joseph had Jacob embalmed in Genesis 50:2
cogman10 5y ago
Human remains can be somewhat toxic (particularly to humans). Human remains are a breeding ground for disease that specializes in breaking down humans. Now imagine that diseased juice getting into the local water system.
- kibwen 5y ago
  It's a myth that human remains are toxic. A human body is only as toxic as the living human that it once was. Which is to say, avoid getting blood and feces on your mucous membranes and you're not at any elevated risk. With regard to drinking water, here's what the CDC advises with regard to whether people should be concerned with a natural abundance of un-preserved corpses in the wake of a natural disaster: "Bacteria and viruses from human remains in flood water are a minor part of the overall contamination that can include uncontrolled sewerage, a variety of soil and water organisms, and household and industrial chemicals. There are no additional practices or precautions for flood water related to human remains, beyond what is normally required for safe food and drinking water, standard hygiene and first aid." https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/handleremains.html https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/handleremains.html In general their broader advice is that you don't need to worry about any sort of disease outbreak happening if there are un-preserved corpses lying around (a position with which the WHO concurs). We should be more concerned with formaldehyde leaching out of preserved corpses than from any chemical byproduct of human decomposition.
- hutzlibu 5y ago
  "Human remains are a breeding ground for disease that specializes in breaking down humans" They are not diseases, but common microorganism - and they are specialized into breaking down any dead organic material. You don't want them in the drinking water, though. But you don't want any microorganism in the drinking water.
chucka9 5y ago
> Why can't people just opt to be buried without embalming or a casket? The article mentions the amount of land that this uses. I’d imagine that’s a big part of it.
chrisseaton 5y ago
> Why can't people just opt to be buried Because this is a huge waste of land.
lph 5y ago
You can, at least here in Washington state. It's called 'green burial'.
MomoXenosaga 5y ago
In my country they can. They have a special "cemetery" that is designated as a nature preserve. No tombstones or signs and no coffins. https://begravenindenatuur.com/overzicht-natuurbegraafplaatsen/ https://begravenindenatuur.com/overzicht-natuurbegraafplaats...

BBC-vs-neolibs 5y ago

Cardboard caskets are half-way there.

djaychela 5y ago

I think there is the option (at least in the UK [1]) to be buried in a coffin which is quickly biodegradable, thereby speeding up the recycling process. [1] - https://naturalendings.co.uk/green-coffins/ https://naturalendings.co.uk/green-coffins/

rapnie 5y ago
There's this Dutch startup growing coffins with fungus. https://futurism.com/living-cocoon-coffin-fungus https://futurism.com/living-cocoon-coffin-fungus

greenburial 5y ago

"Green Burials" [1] are gaining in popularity. Sadly I know this because a young person that committed suicide opted for such a burial. I imagine the older generations are more concerned with tradition and religion. [1] https://www.nhfuneral.org/green-burial-cemeteries-in-the-us-and-canada.html https://www.nhfuneral.org/green-burial-cemeteries-in-the-us-...

rjbwork 5y ago

Personally I'd opt for a Mongolian style sky burial. They just take you out onto a mountainside, cut you up a little bit, and the carrion birds and other animals come to eat you up. Seems like the quickest way to return your elements to the earth.

Y_Y 5y ago
That beautiful circle of life is why I'm so keen on eating Mongolian vulture meat.
- dang 5y ago
  Please don't do this here.
  - rjbwork 5y ago
    Hey dang, I don't actually understand what the above poster did wrong or why they were downvoted so heavily or why you felt the need to personally reprimand them. Not saying you or anyone else is wrong for doing so, but I feel like something must be going over my head. Can you enlighten me?
    - Y_Y 5y ago
      If it helps, I'm not sure either. It wasn't a particularly clever joke, and it was a bit gross. I didn't expect to be told off though.
      - dang 5y ago
        I post that particular moderation line a lot in a very specific kind of context, which this felt like an example of to me - but I didn't mean it to be a big deal, nor to come down hard on you. I'm sorry if it felt that way!
    - dang 5y ago
      It wasn't a deep move, just a standard response to an unsubstantive comment, perhaps with a small multiplier for subject matter. If that still doesn't make sense I'm happy to call it a misfire.
      - rjbwork 5y ago
        Fair enough. I personally found it a macabre and funny yet unoffensive little quip - something to bring a bit of harmless levity to a fairly sober context. It made me chuckle anyway.

mardifoufs 5y ago

That's usually how Muslims do it. Though we usually use very simple wooden caskets to ease transportation and handling . We usually also bury the corpse 24h or less after death, since we traditionally couldn't preserve it ( though refrigeration made that possible without embalming)

TchoBeer 5y ago
Interesting how jews have this too. I wonder where this practice came from.
- mardifoufs 5y ago
  That's interesting, I didn't know we had that in common. Islam takes a lot from Judaism so I guess it shouldn't be surprising. If I had to guess about why it needs to be so fast though, it is probably not a good idea to not bury someone very very quickly in the middle east. As for the very simple caskets, in Islam it is because we are supposed to be all equal in death so going with expensive tombstones or caskets would be very frowned upon. That's why a Muslim cemetery is usually very "minimalistic" and the tombstones very simple.
  - slim 5y ago
    I'd add (because it's not obvious from what you said) that the gasket does not go into the tomb. The corpse goes enveloped in white gaze. And before the transportation the corpse is cleaned with water and perfumed with safran.

boringg 5y ago

What about getting set up on pyre in Varanasi? To be fair, not really a green option (CO2 emissions) but feels a bit more natural than being buried

manquer 5y ago
CO2 is least of the problems with varansi. From disease vectors to river pollution there is ton of issues with it.

rsynnott 5y ago

Enbalming isn't universal; AFAIK it's forbidden, or at least discouraged, in Judaism and Islam, say. Coffins also aren't universal (but can be made biodegradable, anyway)

TchoBeer 5y ago
Interestingly, though modern Jewish practice is to prohibit embalming, Joseph had Jacob embalmed in Genesis 50:2

cogman10 5y ago

Human remains can be somewhat toxic (particularly to humans). Human remains are a breeding ground for disease that specializes in breaking down humans. Now imagine that diseased juice getting into the local water system.

kibwen 5y ago
It's a myth that human remains are toxic. A human body is only as toxic as the living human that it once was. Which is to say, avoid getting blood and feces on your mucous membranes and you're not at any elevated risk. With regard to drinking water, here's what the CDC advises with regard to whether people should be concerned with a natural abundance of un-preserved corpses in the wake of a natural disaster: "Bacteria and viruses from human remains in flood water are a minor part of the overall contamination that can include uncontrolled sewerage, a variety of soil and water organisms, and household and industrial chemicals. There are no additional practices or precautions for flood water related to human remains, beyond what is normally required for safe food and drinking water, standard hygiene and first aid." https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/handleremains.html https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/handleremains.html In general their broader advice is that you don't need to worry about any sort of disease outbreak happening if there are un-preserved corpses lying around (a position with which the WHO concurs). We should be more concerned with formaldehyde leaching out of preserved corpses than from any chemical byproduct of human decomposition.
hutzlibu 5y ago
"Human remains are a breeding ground for disease that specializes in breaking down humans" They are not diseases, but common microorganism - and they are specialized into breaking down any dead organic material. You don't want them in the drinking water, though. But you don't want any microorganism in the drinking water.

chucka9 5y ago

> Why can't people just opt to be buried without embalming or a casket? The article mentions the amount of land that this uses. I’d imagine that’s a big part of it.

chrisseaton 5y ago

> Why can't people just opt to be buried Because this is a huge waste of land.

lph 5y ago

You can, at least here in Washington state. It's called 'green burial'.

MomoXenosaga 5y ago

In my country they can. They have a special "cemetery" that is designated as a nature preserve. No tombstones or signs and no coffins. https://begravenindenatuur.com/overzicht-natuurbegraafplaatsen/ https://begravenindenatuur.com/overzicht-natuurbegraafplaats...