The Overview

Throughout our history, society had developed multiple ways of “caring” for their dead. The ancient practice of burying the dead, and the concern in ones afterlife has prompted a wide variety of burial methods, these methods changing from culture to culture. According to the Ancient Encyclopedia History, burial processes were already used in ancient Sumer, where “food and tools” were buried with the dead. Egyptians constructed momentous structures to glorify their deceased pharoses, while Vikings famously combined “cremation” and a form of “burial at sea” to honor their war heroes and leaders. This variety of burial methods remains present to this day as well. Presently, the 21^st century has multiple possibilities for burying the dead, from the traditional embalmment, to the various sea burials, to even the now-returning natural cemeteries, each of these jointly reflecting how society evolves, as well as how environmental accountability is increasingly a factor in the burial process.

            Over the past 20^th century, embalming has been the most predominant form of burial. According to a local funeral home, the Boone Family Funeral Home, embalming is simply an ancient tradition that is now done to “allow adequate time between death and burial to observe social customs” and “to prevent the spread of infection.” Embalmment itself is done by taking out all the blood and gases from the body and the then inserting a disinfecting fluid, which also serves to “preserve” the individual. However, while this description may seem rather friendly and tame, Mark Harris argues, in his book Grave Matters, the embalming is actually quite un-natural and unwholesome. The “fluid” used to disinfect and preserve the body is in fact a “formaldehyde-based preservative,” which is not only toxic to the environment, but is also a carcinogen and toxic to humans. For this liquid to be inserted, decomposing matter, blood and excess fluids need to be removed, this being done by using a “trocar,” which is a sharply-pointed surgical tube used to rid the body of waste and matter. Along with the formaldehyde preservative, gauze and gels are inserted to artificially soften and “fill” the body. Makeup, clothing, and hair are also done, finalizing the desired “restful look” for the viewing. However, this entire process requires high prices, often ranging around $800 to $900. As the entire process can be quite expensive, simply refrigerating the body is an effective method to temporarily stop the decomposition process and it is safe and eco-friendly. However, Funeral Homes in North Carolina are legislatively forced to require embalming in the case of a public viewing. Therefore, another option from traditional embalming is to embalm with Enigma, an eco-friendly embalming agent, instead of using formaldehyde. However, once the individual is embalmed, they are placed in an often-impermeable coffin, which is in turn buried in a vault, effectively containing the individual in its embalmed state for a longer amount of time. This coffin, the vault, the embalming, and all other funeral process adds up as well, and prices for an embalmed burial range between $5,000 to $12,000. This rather expensive and toxic process raises the question of whether embalming is the best solution for both the deceased individual and the environment.

            There exist, however, other popular solutions more beneficiary to the environment. According to the “Internet Cremation Society,” cremation is the second most-used burial method, and has been on the rise for the past twenty years. Though it does consume much energy to initiate, cremation is one tenth of the cost of embalming, and the body itself leaves much less toxic chemicals. The level of toxicity (and amount of money spent) rests on what type of coffin the body is burned in. The standard cardboard box is about $50, while other coffins are as expensive as $2,750 dollars. However, using cremation, many environmentally-geared burials are possible. Burial at sea, for example is a possible burial method. One way to achieve a sea burial is to scatter the ashes, something allowed by the U. S. government. Scattering ashes at sea is about as environmentally impactful as anywhere else, and the costs remain the same. Another way is to vault a body and cast it in the ocean. This method however, is rather regulated, and the EPA requires the process to be done three miles out and in waters at least six hundred feet deep, to “ensure[s] that the remains sink to the [sea] bottom rapidly and permanently.” Full-body sea burials also require embalmment, and the bodies are then placed in (usually) weighted vaults, further upsetting the marine ecosystem. Scattering ashes in the ocean is remains as costly as the cremation process (around $1,500), however full-body sea burials are much more expensive, as they also include the price of embalming, as well as shipping the body out to sea.

            The possibly “greenest” and cheaper methods of burial, however, are ones in which the deceased had made previous plans to their burial, and had actively considered “returning to the Earth” as part of their burial. According to Harris, using, for example, “a plain pine box,” in which the deceased is simply placed in the coffin, reduces the interference of any costly embalming, as well as reducing the amount of toxic chemicals and un-degradable materials. In this case the burial expense amounts only to the cost of the coffin and the paperwork, this natural coffin usually in the $400 to $900 range, and the paperwork amounting to around $100. A “backyard burial” is also environmentally friendly and much less costly, and though it can only be done in certain states, eliminates the use of a vault as well as the usage of embalmment. In this case, price is determined by how the body is buried, though the lowest price range would be simple $100 for the paperwork.

Considered the most environmentally friendly, however, is the “natural cemetery.” This type of burial, according to Harris, requires the deceased individual to be buried in bio-degradable coffin, excluding vaults as well, and asks that the individual is not embalmed either. The burial site itself is usually in a remediation land plot, in which the soil of that environment is in fact lacking nutrients, and would benefit from the introduction of a decomposing body. This method is also relatively cheaper compared to the traditional embalming, as it averages around 1000 dollars, though this price could reduce depending on the natural cemetery site.

There also exists other alternative methods, such as the Biodegradable Urn, Memorial Reefs, LifeGems, and “And Vinyl.” Biodegradable Urns, created from the company Urna Bios, uses your ashes to nourish a tree seed, which is all packaged in a biodegradable container, making it possible to “become” a tree.  The “Memorial Reef,” (provided by the Neptune Society) gives you the possibility of placing the ashes in a cement-based reef starter, which not only creates an entirely new ecosystem, but is also a memorable way of being buried. LifeGems are gems in which the ashes (or lock of hair) from the deceased are compressed into a gem that can be formed into jewelry as a keepsake of the loved one. Finally, there exists the option of compressing a loved one’s ashes into a Vinyl record, which could, ideally, play their “theme music” and could be a reminder of that person. These alternative burial methods go to show how there exist many possibilities to choose when deciding on a burial method.

With these options, I hope I can facilitate the research process of grieving families, improving the decision making choice so that it most benefits the family and society as a whole.