Body Disposal.

Yesterday on Fresh Air, Terry Gross interviewed Mark Harris- author of Grave Matters: A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial (2007). I haven't read the book, but I found the conversation enlightening. Harris argues the merits of eco-friendly burial, as oposed to the contemporary methods, which are expensive and harmful to the environment. Like many people, I tend to avoid thinking too much about my own demise and how my body should be disposed of. But I do see the value in thinking about this issue in broader social terms.

Frankly, some of the points Harris made in his discussion with Gross are fascinating. The average price of a basic funeral and burial is about $10,000. Money must be laid out for the death certificate, embalming, hairdressing, placing the deceased in the coffin, the coffin itself, the viewing, the funeral ceremony, the transportation of the body, digging the grave, the cemetary plot, and a headstone. Of course like anything else in our society, there are a variety of options available. For example, you can buy a simple wooden coffin or an indestructible copper one. And these are just the costs that apply to the family and/or friends of the dead.

Burial methods imply costs to society at large. Most obviously, cemetaries take up valuable real estate. This is a pet peeve of at least one of my friends who is obsessed with urban planning. They tend to break the flow of an otherwise dynamic community. In addition, the embalming and internment processes use an ordinate amount of resources that could be better used to serve the living. There are also polluting wastes that need to be disposed of, and much of it ends up in our sewers. And every container placed into the ground disrupts its ecology. For some reason people in the United States are particularly obsessed with permanence... and this means that the society's dead tend to linger in the ground.

I've never cared much what happens to my body once I'm dead. It's not like I'm going to have any use for it at that point. As far as I'm concerned, it will only really effect my loved ones. But I don't like the idea of being lowered into the ground preserved like a wax figure, and enclosed in an impenetrable box. I figured I'd just be cremated, and my ashes scattered in some wilderness. Cremation is certainly less expensive than burial. It has an effciency that attracts me. Yet Harris points out a drawback with the process. Apparently many baby-boomers (with their silver fillings) will be emitting mercury up the smokestack and into the air we breath. This residue settles onto the ground and gets into our water supply. Scientists are not sure about the extent of the problem... but it is a concern.

As Harris points out, there are alternative arrangements that can be made. There are now eco-friendly options, like biodegradable burials in a nature reserve. With a cardboard coffin it's not long before your body starts decomposing, and your remains get reintegrated into the next cycle of nature. Or if you prefer- your cremated remains can be mixed with concrete to make an artificial reef, which is then dropped into the ocean to create a fish habitat. These arrangements have the benefit of bequeathing one last act of selfless giving.

Finally, some states allow home burials... and others allow you to do it without any embalming. If you are a bit selfish, you may want to put the nutrients back in your own land to benefit your heirs. That solution includes simplicity without appealing to those damn hippy liberals! Make sure you check the state laws wherever you live first. If you need suggestions or hints, there is a wealth of true crime material detailing D.I.Y. methods. Why not consult the experts?