As I discovered recently, traditional methods of handling dead humans are surprisingly serious sources of pollution and resource consumption. For example, burials require a dangerous toxin, formaldehyde, to embalm the body, and those pollutants remain in the corpse as it decays and then goes back into the Earth. Caskets, too, can be problematic in terms of using wood (usually not sustainably harvested), and then the graveyards where they all end up take up lots of land. What about cremation? Well, stoking those fires requires tremendous amounts of power–i.e., electricity, which of course usually comes from coal-fired power plants.

According to the statistics from Wikipedia, each year in America the following environmental nasties get sent below ground with our dearly departed:

• 30 million board feet (70,000 m³) of hardwoods (caskets);
• 90,272 tons of steel (caskets);
• 14,000 tons of steel (vaults);
• 2,700 tons of copper and bronze (caskets);
• 1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete (vaults);
• 827,060 US gallons (3,130 m³) of embalming fluid, which most commonly includes formaldehyde.1

Knowing all this, Death becomes even scarier than usual for any eco-conscious person. But rather than face the great unknown with a heavy heart, rather than lie in the Earth without the ability to rest in peace, you can help preserve the planet even after you are gone. Yes, you can get a green burial.

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