Green burial: How to turn a human body into compost
Swedish company develops a green procedure that involves freeze drying a body and returning it to the soil without chemicals.
Photo: claudia_dias/Flickr Comments
How about a tree chipper/shredder and point the ejection chute over a cliff and let'er rip!? Wouldn't take but maybe a 1/4 gallon of gas..
Whatever happened to a decent burial? I don't want people taking care of my body thinking about the environment, I want them to think about taking care of my body in the most respectable way possible! I want my body to, oh goodness no, decompose naturally, and I really don't care what the effect or cost is! Have we really sunk so LOW as to even contemplate how to get out of a decent and respectable burial?
what's wrong with burying the body, unencased, in the ground?
I know bones take a while to decompose, but isn't that the way nature intended? just a little deeper?
How much money would a process like this cost? The reason a lot of people don't jump on the eco-bandwagon is that there really isn't an inexpensive way to do so. Hybrid vehicles are expensive. "Eco-friendly"-labeled paraphernalia costs extra. Solar panels aren't cheap. This kind of burial, while the end result may be environment-friendly, seems like it would cost a lot more, and people tend to be cheap. Most of us don't care that much about "saving the planet." We would rather save some money..... More
This is great...the powder could be incorporated into all sorts of things. Think of it! You could become part of a cosmetic used by a supermodel; a cleanser to scrub floors; insulation for the walls of a home; blown in ceiling insulation; paint pigment...endless possibilities here--ultimate recycling.
If you wish to be green, then eat your dead.
Fava beans optional...
So, How much electricity is used freezing yourself and the nitrogen, How much electricity is used when "gently bombarding" the corpse with sound waves and where does this electricity come from. Sounds like an embarrassing carbon footprint if you ask me.
Seems like this "eco-friendly" way of getting rid of loved ones uses a whole crapload of electricity. I guess I'll buy some coal and public utility stocks. Thanks for the tip.
I agree with Uncle B that this process is a bit wasteful. I remember reading something about using warm water and potassium hydroxide to dissolve the body. I'd rather go that route, but this method has the potential for some epic wakes. Kick things off by having your body in a clear box get blasted to pieces by your favorite song, then give everyone a vial of corpse dust to take home at the end. Almost make me want to fake my death just to watch that happen.
take the artificial bits out of the body, sell them for scrap, and use that money to charter a boat........ dump the body overboard
Just feed me to pigs. Problem solved.
Too much energy spent! Even bio-gassing for methane would make better economical sense in a world where Americans and Chinese out-bid each other for petroleum products, driving prices out of range for the rest the world. Please! Find less energy consuming methods.
