How to Plan an Eco-Friendly Funeral
To become more environmentally friendly, people are eating organic foods, planning green weddings, buying electric cars and going on eco-tours during vacations. But this green-living philosophy can also apply to end-of-life issues. You can plan a green funeral so that when the time comes, your loved ones will know how to respect your wishes and respect the Earth at the same time.
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Instructions
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Make a living will. This will allow you to request that extreme measures not be taken to prolong your life as death approaches, thus conserving valuable medical resources.
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Recycle yourself. Being an organ and tissue donor will give you the satisfaction of knowing that when you're gone, parts of you will live on and may in fact enable others to live.
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Request that your body not be embalmed, as embalming is usually unnecessary and can release toxins into the environment. If your funeral must be delayed for any reason, it can usually be stored in a refrigerated hospital morgue facility.
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Opt for cremation. This will conserve materials, labor, space and your relatives' funds.
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Pick out a plain wooden coffin if you prefer to be buried. A cardboard coffin would also be appropriate (especially one made from recycled cardboard), but stay away from plywood and particleboard, as they contain glue that would release harmful chemicals during decomposition.
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Tips & Warnings
You can also request that live plants be sent in lieu of flowers to your funeral. Better yet, request that mourners plant trees in your honor.
Let your relatives know that you like the thought of having a memorial fund set up for donations to your favorite environmental cause.
References
- Photo Credit Matt Cardy/Getty Images News/Getty Images
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Comments
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janiemalloy
Feb 20, 2008
As a professional consumer advocate, I'd like to ad to this post. The current funeral industry buries 90,000 tons of steel caskets and 17,000 tons of steel and copper vaults as well as 1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete in the ground every year, along with 800,000 gallons of formaldehyde. Cremation is less toxic, but still releases carcinogens in the air. The conventional funeral and cemetery industry is not geared to offering eco-funerals, so leaving a living will requesting one is overly simplistic. Kind of like calling for a taxi and requesting a hybrid vehicle; it's not available right now, but maybe in a few years. In order to have an eco-funeral, one must PLAN AHEAD. A true eco-funeral involves a green burial, where the body is buried no more than 3 feet deep in a biodegradable container. There are only a handful of green cemeteries in the U.S., so this is a good place t -
janiemalloy
Feb 20, 2008
As a professional consumer advocate, I'd like to ad to this post. The current funeral industry buries 90,000 tons of steel caskets and 17,000 tons of steel and copper vaults as well as 1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete in the ground every year, along with 800,000 gallons of formaldehyde. Cremation is less toxic, but still releases carcinogens in the air. The conventional funeral and cemetery industry is not geared to offering eco-funerals, so leaving a living will requesting one is overly simplistic. Kind of like calling for a taxi and requesting a hybrid vehicle; it's not available right now, but maybe in a few years. In order to have an eco-funeral, one must PLAN AHEAD. A true eco-funeral involves a green burial, where the body is buried no more than 3 feet deep in a biodegradable container. There are only a handful of green cemeteries in the U.S., so this is a good place t
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lilaclady
Feb 19, 2008
Thank you for this, the more we talk about such thing the sooner greener alternatives will be put in place...I made some queries when I was putting what I wanted in a living will, the funeral house said cardboard coffins were not an option...so talking is the way to go.
