AP Photo/Xinhua, Li Xin
DCL
Alright, so that headline's a little bleak. And before we get into it, let me note right off the bat that I'm not suggesting anyone dig up a coffin and turn it into a coffee table. That is inappropriate.
But green burials are not. Though it might not exactly be the most comfortable subject to broach, it's worth discussing—plenty of people already are. Evidently, there's actually an entire green burial movement emerging. It focuses on using biodegradable materials in the burial, and foregoing the use of toxic chemical-heavy embalming procedures. It's sometimes paired with what's known as a home funeral—one that eschews a traditional service and the following trip to the cemetery. And yes, it can be a little weird.
The Record Eagle describes it as follows:
Green burial typically means using biodegradable materials for a coffin and foregoing a burial vault and embalming. Home funerals usually involve the body staying at home instead of going to a funeral home. A death midwife attends to the unembalmed body; Butz said the few he met likened it to caring for an invalid or infant.
The Butz mentioned above is Bob Butz, the author of Going Out Green: One Man's Adventure Planning his Own Natural Burial. In researching his book, he became well acquainted with green burial concepts—like biodegradable coffins:
Bob Butz is going to build his own coffin. It may double as a coffee table or bookshelves until he needs it...And, yes, he bought plans for a coffin, but says they're also available for free. "Green burial to me," Butz said, "was more than just picking the things I needed. It was about reclaiming a ritual we lost."
That's right: there are ways you can build yourself a biodegradable coffin—and use as a coffee table until needed. Or, you could reuse your old coffee table to build yourself a coffin. The possibilities are endless. You'll have to check out the book for the secrets, I suppose. And there are actually green coffins on the market, for sale, already—like the one called the Ecopod. As its name suggests, the thing looks like a weird Body Snatchers-esque pod that you simply slide your deceased loved one into. The entire thing then biodegrades.
There are actually a slew of things to consider when looking into a green burial, and they don't always involve death midwives or weird rituals. In fact, the majority of green burials are quite normal—they focus instead on details like making sure fillings are removed so the mercury doesn't leech out into the soil, the use of concrete in burial plots is minimized, the embalming process is organic (or passed over), and yes, the coffin may or may not be biodegradable.
Check out the How to Go Green: Funerals guide for more information on how to have a more environmentally conscious ceremony, if not a full-on green burial.
