Grave matters
How to rest in peace without wrecking the planet

(Editor’s note: The following is the first in a new column written by students in Solana Kline’s upper-level Environment and Society course at Fort Lewis College. The column will focus on local sustainability, conservation and eco-social issues while giving students a chance to share their research outside traditional academic channels. “This is the place to connect to our local nature and to each other,” Kline said.)

Most of us aren’t exactly eager to talk about what happens to our bodies after death, but if you care about leaving the world a little better, then what you do with your body (or those of your loved ones) matters. Think of it as a parting gift to the Earth.

Even in death, we can leave quite a footprint. Conventional American burial practices are quite resource-intensive, consuming irreplaceable natural materials and taking up land. Cremation isn’t much better – it requires significant energy and is estimated to emit 1.7 billion pounds of carbon dioxide, along with a surprising amount of vaporized dental mercury and other pollutants that are released into the atmosphere every year in the United States.

But rest in peace – there are greener options.

According to the Green Burial Council, a national nonprofit that advocates for environmentally sustainable, natural options after death, a green burial sequesters approximately 25 pounds of carbon, compared to a single conventional burial, which emits about 250 pounds of carbon. So what are your green burial options?  

First, skip the embalming fluid – this is a concoction of toxic chemicals that are used to preserve and “sanitize” a body to make it look less dead. More than 4 million gallons of embalming fluid are buried in U.S. cemeteries each year, threatening soil and groundwater. But the need for embalming is largely based on myth: 

• Myth #1: “Embalm quickly or the body will smell!” Truth: A body kept cool can wait several days before final disposition, longer with refrigeration. 

• Myth #2: “Dead bodies are disease bombs!” Truth: Unless death was from a highly infectious disease, a body is not hazardous – most microbes die with us. 

• Myth #3: “It’s easier to grieve if the body looks less dead.” Truth: If that comforts you, that’s fine – but death’s natural appearance can help us accept the reality of the loss and the natural cycle of life.

Secondly, choose a cemetery that doesn’t require a vault or grave liner. These are often made of concrete and may include metal, asphalt, plastic or fiberglass. The Green Burial Council estimates more than 1.6 million tons of concrete and tens of thousands of tons of metals are buried in U.S. cemeteries every year. Cemeteries like these vaults because they keep gravesites from shifting, keeping the grounds neat and level. Flat lawns are overrated – let natural shift happen!

Avoid an “eternity box.” If a beautiful casket truly matters to you, then by all means. But do we really need to encase a body in an impenetrable, expensive box made from irreplaceable materials only to bury it, never to be seen again? The funeral industry often preys on grief, pushing us to buy the most expensive “final gifts.” But is that really the best way to honor someone – or the Earth? Millions of feet of hardwood and thousands of tons of metals go into casket production each year in the United States alone. Yet, when asked, most people say they’d rather have their body return to the soil to nourish future life than be preserved forever in a metal box.

Instead, choose a biodegradable casket or shroud made from willow, bamboo, seagrass, cardboard, wool, organic cotton or untreated pine. Or supercharge the decomposition – use a mushroom burial suit or casket, which helps break down the body and absorb toxins, helping transform remains into safe nutrient-rich soil.

Two increasingly popular alternatives go even further: alkaline hydrolysis and natural organic reduction.

Alkaline hydrolysis, also known as aquamation or water cremation, uses an alkaline solution to accelerate natural decomposition. After several hours, the process results in a sterile, nutrient-rich liquid which can safely be returned to the wastewater system and bone minerals, which are dried and processed into a fine powder that also can be returned to the earth. Alkaline hydrolysis uses significantly less energy than flame cremation and produces no direct air pollution or mercury emissions.

Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), or human composting, is another sustainable choice – and the one my late husband and I chose for his final disposition. The body is placed in a vessel with organic materials like wood chips, straw and alfalfa. Over a couple of months, microbes naturally transform the body into rich, safe, soil that can nourish gardens, trees and ecosystems.

So, what’s your exit strategy? Whether you choose a bamboo casket, a mushroom burial suit, aquamation, or human composting, your final act can help heal the planet instead of harming it. Don’t make a grave mistake, make your last gift be one that is good for the Earth and for future generations.

Cheri Lee Kelly has lived in Durango for most of the last 26 years, raising a family and serving the Durango community as a speech-language pathologist and certified life-cycle celebrant. She is currently a (very) “nontraditional” student at Fort Lewis College studying environmental conservation and management in pursuit of her “encore career.” This is her first public media article.