Okay, I realize this is a sensitive topic for some. Not everyone is going to resonate, and that is totally okay. I respect everyone’s beliefs, opinions & feelings!
I wanted to share this option with people: Forest Cemeteries. How do they work? Well, a deceased person is first cremated, then their ashes are put into the base of a tree. The tree acts as the gravestone.
Why choose this? A couple reasons.
1. A cemetery offers a special, serene landscape for survivors to come visit those who have passed.
2. There is something special about knowing that even after life, you are in a way still part of an ecosystem.
3. Forest cemeteries are protected lands, just like conventional cemeteries. This means that by choosing this, you are actively contributing to conservation efforts.
4. Conventional cemeteries are proven to be very hazardous to the environment.
- Both the Journal of Water & Health and the WHO report that cemeteries are one of the major sources human-related sources of pollution and contamination of water. Human bodies, over time, leach into the soil. Bodies may contain toxic chemicals like arsenic or formaldehyde (preservation/embalming), microorganisms like viruses or bacteria, and different chemical compounds from miscellaneous aspects such as pacemakers.
- Conventional cemeteries also rely on fertilizers to maintain the grass. Forest cemeteries are able to thrive naturally.
- Finally, conventional cemeteries use a lot of concrete. Concrete worldwide causes up to 8% of global emissions. Yikes! By reducing this even just a little can make some big changes.
Being buried in a traditional cemetery is no longer the only option. Check out Better Place Forests https://www.betterplaceforests.com/ for a glimpse of what one of these forests looks like & what they have to offer!
As always,
In Soil We Trust
Tiffany
Check out some of these resources to learn more:
https://iwaponline.com/jwh/article/13/2/285/28303/Impact-of-cemeteries-on-groundwater-contamination
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/108132/EUR_ICP_EHNA_01_04_01(A).pdf;sequence=1
https://amp.theguardian.com/cities/2019/feb/25/concrete-the-most-destructive-material-on-earth
Bring Back Soil 
My grandmother is buried in a forest cemetery..me I have always wanted to go up in a firework but maybe I’ll rethink that 🙂 Interesting post 🙂
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That is amazing! I like the firework idea too. Going out with a bang… literally! Thank you 😊
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Absolutely, Tiffany to me no better way to go!
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