7 Unconventional Burial Methods That Actually Exist
By
Editorial Staff in
Facts
On 15th July 2016
Dying and funeral arrangements are arguably the last thing anyone wants to discuss.
Funerals are expensive, especially when they need to be planned suddenly.
The average burial (funeral) ranges from $7,000 to $10,000. If you don’t have that extra few thousand at hand, what then?
Luckily, there have been alternative burial options created to suit each family’s budget and preference.
While it’s morbid to think about where you or your loved ones will end up once they pass, it’s good to have a plan. Modern options include organic burial pods, diamond rings, and even fireworks!
#1 BIODEGRADABLE URNS
These urns called Bios Urn, allows you or your loved one to become a tree after death by using 100% biodegradable materials such as coconut shell, compacted peat, and cellulose.
Built in two parts, the first part is comprised with a powder medium to allow for germination of the seed while the second part is the bottom cone where ashes are placed.
The urn works by allowing the seed to germinate separately from the ashes. It then starts the decomposition process. The tree roots are then strong enough to make contact with the ashes where they grow through the Bios Urn.
#2 HEAVENS ABOVE FIREWORKS
Heavens Above Fireworks is changing the way we say goodbye to our loved ones, and by changing I mean sending you or your loved one off in spectacular fashion. They offer quite a few different firework displays depending on what you're looking for.
Founded back in 2004, Heavens Above Fireworks was looking for a way to incorporate cremated ashes into fireworks for a spectacular final send off.
#3 ORGANIC BURIAL PODS
This unique burial method originated in Italy and is titled The Capsula Mundi project, created by designers Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel.
The designers created an organic, biodegradable pods that actually transforms the body of the deceased into a tree.
As this occurs, the body would turn into nutrients for the tree that would allow it to grow.
#4 A DIAMOND RING
Algordanza is a Swiss startup company that's reinventing the wheel when it comes to memorial keepsakes made from the ashes of deceased loved ones.
The company uses cremated human remains to create memorial diamonds that can be worn conveniently wherever you go.
According to Algordanza, the process works like this, "During cremation, the majority of carbon escapes as carbon dioxide. In the ashes remain 1-5% of carbon. In our laboratory we are able to isolate this carbon from all other substances. This isolated carbon is the foundation for the diamond growth following the example set by nature."
#5 ETERNAL REEF
A reef ball is a steel sphere. A person's cremated remains are placed inside the reef ball and sealed after which the ball is placed into the ocean, to eventually become part of a living reef.
This option replaces cremation urns and ash scattering with a permanent environmental living legacy.
#6 A PENCIL
This is a 240 pencil set made from the carbon of a cremated human. Each pencil is foil stamped with the name of the deceased.
Only one pencil can be removed at a time, it is then sharpened back into the box causing the sharpenings to occupy the space of the used pencils.
Over time the pencil box fills with sharpenings a new ash, transforming it into an urn. The window acts as a timeline, showing you the amount of pencils left as time goes by.
#7 ALKALINE HYDROLISIS
Alkaline Hydrolisis is the process where you would be dissolved in lye and turned into a brownish, coffee-colored syrupy residue, in what is clearly a very environmentally friendly technique.
The liquid has the texture of motor oil and spreads a strong ammonia (urine-like) smell, but it is sterile and can be poured down the drain.
At the moment, only two U.S. medical centers (the University of Florida in Gainesville and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota) employ this technique on human bodies.
