GRAVE MATTERS
By George Breed
Cosmocracy

Original Link

In exploring a more natural way of burial of this body (not right now please, but when the time comes), I am currently reading Mark Harris' Grave Matters.

Funeral home folk make the pitch that embalming and casketing keep the loved one safe and protected, an odd thing to say since the body is not the loved one, and all the body "wants" to do is dissolve and return to the elements.

Aftet spending several thousands of dollars to ensure the loved one "rests comfortably," here is a review of what happens:

"Various microbes are involved in the breakdown of the human body. In the airless environment of the sealer casket, it's the anaerobic bacteria that thrive. Unlike their oxygen-fueled aerobic counterparts, these agents attack the body's organic matter by putrefying it, turning soft body parts to mush and bloating the corpse with foul-smelling gas. In entombment in the aboveground mausoleum, the buildup of methane gas has been sufficient enough in some cases to blow the lid off caskets and marble door panels off crypts. To address what became known in the industry as the "exploding casket syndrome," manufacturers added "burpers" to their sealer caskets, gaskets that release -- or "burp" out -- accumulated gases. The gaskets may have reduced the incidents of exploding caskets, but they don't change the conditions that fuel the production of methane. Anaerobic decomposition continues apace, and inside the sealed casket, the result is a funereal version of the decay that's found in swamp bottoms and the bowels of unturned compost piles." -- From Grave Matters

So much for the loved one resting comfortably, lying safe and protected.

I'm liking Edward Abbey's view, which Harris quotes:

"[After] the moment of death...we should get the hell out of the way, with our bodies decently planted in the earth to nourish other forms of life--weeds, flowers, shrubs, trees, which support other forms of life, which support the ongoing human pageant--the lives of our children. That seems good enough to me."

Ed Abbey was buried in his sleeping bag under a pile of rocks in the Arizona desert in March 1989.

Even the AARP is beginning to understand the beauty of a natural cemetery.

Here is more on conservation burial.

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GRAVE MATTERS:
A JOURNEY THROUGH THE MODERN FUNERAL INDUSTRY TO A NATURAL WAY OF BURIAL
By Mark Harris
Hardcover: 208 pages
Publisher: Scribner (January 9, 2007)
Language: English
Average Customer Review: 5 stars based on 5 reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Harris's case for an eco-friendly burial is also an argument for a graceful and productive afterlife. Avoiding embalming keeps funeral waste out of our sewers, while burial in a shroud or cardboard coffin saves trees; these approaches can also bring the living back in touch with the cycle of life, he argues. Following in the footsteps of Jessica Mitford (author of The American Way of Death), Harris discusses the ways in which Americans have shifted care of the dead out of the hands and homes of friends and family as he tours various burial options, from the most environmentally intrusive to the least. His graphic description of an embalming offers a sharp contrast to a burial in a biodegradable coffin in a nature reserve, where the decaying body will help restore the environment. Embalming is also expensive ($12,376) compared to burial in an artificial reef (between $995 and $4,995 after the $1,800 cremation). Acknowledging that burial requires a series of difficult decisions in the midst of devastating emotions, this practical, powerful and affirming book succeeds as a survey of burial methods, a collection of true stories and a resource guide.

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From Booklist
By Donna Chavez

In the face of the billion-dollar-a-year funeral industry, former environmental columnist Harris advocates green (i.e., chemical-free) burial, a concept that is gaining momentum among aging baby boomers. His slender tome is chockablock with information on a variety of burial options, the majority of them environmentally friendly. For many, the only options they thought were available involved choosing between a mahogany casket and a brass casket. Through his detailed if grisly explanation of the currently popular embalming and interment process, Harris just may open up entirely new discussions among family members whenever the topic of burial is broached. Indeed, after reading this book, many may find it impossible to make such decisions casually, whether they are planning their own mortal destinies or are engaged in the emotion-wrought decisions incumbent upon the passings of loved ones. They may consider it worse to leave everything in the hands of a funeral-home owner. Including specifics about probable cost, availability, and location regarding a number of green burial options (names and addresses of some sources and providers are given), Harris has created a well-organized, valuable resource for anyone considering the disposition of their own or a loved one's earthly remains.

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RELATED NHNE RESOURCES:

ALL ABOUT FUNERALS (4/12/2004)

NHNE Death & Dying Resource Page