Maybe it's because there's been so much loss in the last year or maybe I'm just officially starting to think like and old person, but I've been thinking about what will happen when the day comes that I fire off this mortal coil. Do I need a will? Who should I leave my collection of bad art that I've created over the years? What about all of my bills? And then there's the question of how I want to be disposed of when I go.

I know that sounds a little morbid, but really, that is what we are doing, right? We are disposing of organic matter whether we're cremated or buried. I much prefer the idea of the former over the latter for me personally. I just don't see the point in taking up physical space once I'm gone. And I know, people might want to visit with me once I've gone on. I get it. I appreciate knowing that I can go and visit the graves of those I love but what if there was another way? A better way? According to Recompose, every year in the United States, 2.7 million people die and most are either buried or cremated. So what's the problem with that? Lots, actually.

Cremation burns fossil fuels and emits carbon dioxide and particulates into the atmosphere. Conventional burial consumes valuable urban land, pollutes the soil, and contributes to climate change through resource-intensive manufacture and transport of caskets, headstones, and grave liners. The overall environmental impact of conventional burial and cremation is about the same.

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What if we could literally become one with the earth? No box. No velvet. Just us and the dirt? For the first time in the United States, a funeral home exists that will turn your remains or the remains of your loved one into compost so that you can give back to the earth. Not only would you not be taking up space or creating pollution, you'd acutally be doing something good for the environment.

For every person who chooses Recompose over conventional burial or cremation, one metric ton of carbon dioxide is prevented from entering the atmosphere. In addition, our approach to human composting requires 1/8 the energy of conventional burial or cremation. Recompose allows you to choose an end-of-life option that strengthens the environment rather than depleting it.

 

The process used by Recompose actually creates enough soil to fill the bed of a pick up truck. Think of what you could grow with that. You could use that soil to plant a tree as a memorial, giving a place to visit. I really love this idea and comparatively to the cost of a regular funeral/burial, it isn't that expensive at $5,500 - they even offer prepayment plans. This just seems like a more eco-friendly way to go to me. Learn more.

[Source: Recompose]

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