general Your take on what people call "Green Burial"?

[They call me Loyalty 1,948]

The soil of this planet provided me with sustenance of nutrients. Once my body dies, it'll return to earth.

That's about it

[SunsetBaconDrive 169]

What are you talking about? People have been buried very differently from "green burial" for thousands of years as well; the Tibetians saw birds of preys as a path to heaven and left corpses for them to scavenge, while Indians and Bengalis have been cremating for several centuries now because their culture believes burial was "impure" (the Indian subcontinent was heavily agricultural and this came from the common belief that it made the land infertile and took up space). Also, cremation's effect on air pollution is insignificant; it only pumps .3% of yearly gaseous emissions and mercury. You'll have better luck dealing with cars rather than crematoriums.

 

Also, plenty of Western cultures openly discuss or even accept death. Mini-cemeteries are popular in Northern Europe, Christians and Muslims see death as a transition to an afterlife state (atheists don't care about all that), and in Central America people have days that celebrate the dead. Many deathcare practices have creeped into the US and Canada as well. If anything, Asian cultures treat death more quietly than Westerners and often get a bit uneasy on standard deathcare there. (White is the funeral color, not black, qnd in some cultures it can take weeks or even months to actually do ceremonies.)

 

Honestly most types of deathcare are fine by me. Their effect on the environment is very insiginificant compared to other than pollutants. Do a green burial if that's your thing. Personally I would like to be religiously cremated and have golden Chinese paper thrown onto my body.

LMAO

 

Dude that IS death denial. What logic is justified by pumping a body to decompose slower and putting a casket in a metal vault to prevent fertilizing of the corpse?Regardless of your beliefs, you won't be using your body when you die.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

This is the first time I'm even hearing about this. Personally I say it's up to the deceased or their family's wishes. Casket, cremation, tree pod, none should be discriminated for how they treat the dead as long as it is respectful TO the dead.

 

 

 

Whether your spiritual or an atheist... It should be the same viewpoint from anyone.

 

 

 

Hey, its better than looking at depressing rocks isn't it?

 

 

Is this a "your [guys] take on X" thread or an "we must all do this, damn what people want" thread? 

[SunsetBaconDrive 169]

This is the first time I'm even hearing about this. Personally I say it's up to the deceased or their family's wishes. Casket, cremation, tree pod, none should be discriminated for how they treat the dead as long as it is respectful TO the dead.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is this a "your [guys] take on X" thread or an "we must all do this, damn what people want" thread? 

I figure I'd offer a better idea. Everyone hates cemeteries and the way they look. 

[Steel Accord 6,660]

I figure I'd offer a better idea. Everyone hates cemeteries and the way they look. 

 

"Everyone" huh? I certainly don't. Not one of my favorite places to go either but I do appreciate the space. Probably how I'm going to be buried one day.

 

 

LMAO

 

Again, are you interested in having "a discussion" or simply mocking people who disagree with you on this matter? 

Edited October 14, 2016 by Steel Accord

[SunsetBaconDrive 169]

"Everyone" huh? I certainly don't. Not one of my favorite places to go either but I do appreciate the space. Probably how I'm going to be buried one day.

 

 

 

Again, are you interested in having "a discussion" or simply mocking people who disagree with you on this matter? 

Not mocking him. Everyone is ignorant to something. I'm not attacking his character.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

Apologies for not sugar coating this, but I believe that the traditional, expensive, and elaborate means of handling death in the west demands harsh criticism.  It may be a difficult conversation, but it's one that needs to be had more often.

 

Apology not accepted. If you admit it's a difficult discussion, treat it like one. Exhibit A of not doing so: "Weapons grade stupidity" Exhibit B you're theoretical tomb.

Not mocking him. Everyone is ignorant to something. I'm not attacking his character.

 

I find that somewhat hard to beleive. "LMAO" is an acronym for "laughing my ass off" and laughter toward something said by someone not intended as a joke is mockery of their statement. It's not attacking his character no, but it's certainly not good argument etiquette.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Steel Accord

[SunsetBaconDrive 169]

Apology not accepted. If you admit it's a difficult discussion, treat it like one. Exhibit A of not doing so: "Weapons grade stupidity" 

 

I find that somewhat hard to beleive. "LMAO" is an acronym for "laughing my ass off" and laughter toward something said by someone not intended as a joke is mockery of their statement. It's not attacking his character no, but it's certainly not good argument etiquette.

No, you got it wrong. Attacking a belief is NOT attacking the person, you're attacking the subject matter itself. I don't want to confuse anyone though, I will just leave it as is. We are NOT our beliefs. 

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

Apologies for not sugar coating this, but I believe that the traditional, expensive, and elaborate means of handling death in the west demands harsh criticism.  It may be a difficult conversation, but it's one that needs to be had more often.

 

No it doesn't. Because no one has the right to tell anyone else how they should feel about or treat the death of a loved one. Just because some people don't give a crap does not mean no one does... and just because you or anyone else feels it is a waste of the time or complete idiocy does not make it so. I do agree death is ridiculous in it's overall cost these days, and when someone dies the leeches come out in force to try to squeeze the nickles and dimes out of the living, But that is an impossible system to regulate since there are so many possible options and avenues to pursue. Death is not always about throwing someone in the ground and forgetting them, it is about many other things as well, including celebrating the living themselves.

 

Cemeteries are not useless swaths of land to be avoided at all costs. Several are parks, and others are becoming gardens that both celebrate the dead and give the living someplace serene to spend time. Also even those that are not being converted are often beautiful places that i would much rather visit than more sidewalk covered cityscapes. All of the things you mention we have plenty of about all over the place, but sure, lets bulldoze more land and put up more buildings of brick and mortar that require taxes and upkeep and create traffic and pollution and destroy far more land than any graveyard ever does.

 

Who cares how anyone else feels or what their wishes are, because their dead right, and only the living matter. Why don't we just throw people in the garbage like spoiled milk and yesterdays newspaper? After all, they won't care and that is what landfills are for right? Disposing of that which is of no importance to the living.

 

I am all for green burials, eco-friendly solutions and finding ways to lower funeral costs and make it easier on families of the deceased.

 

But I am equally for respecting the dead and their wishes and those of their family who may be doing their best to represent that. I don't believe in the whole giant golden casket mentality some may have, but I do respect their right to want it for themselves. In the end the Earth will reclaim them no matter what. It will just take longer.

[SunsetBaconDrive 169]

No it doesn't. Because no one has the right to tell anyone else how they should feel about or treat the death of a loved one. Just because some people don't give a crap does not mean no one does... and just because you or anyone else feels it is a waste of the time or complete idiocy does not make it so. I do agree death is ridiculous in it's overall cost these days, and when someone dies the leeches come out in force to try to squeeze the nickles and dimes out of the living, But that is an impossible system to regulate since there are so many possible options and avenues to pursue. Death is not always about throwing someone in the ground and forgetting them, it is about many other things as well, including celebrating the living themselves.

 

Cemeteries are not useless swaths of land to be avoided at all costs. Several are parks, and others are becoming gardens that both celebrate the dead and give the living someplace serene to spend time. Also even those that are not being converted are often beautiful places that i would much rather visit than more sidewalk covered cityscapes. All of the things you mention we have plenty of about all over the place, but sure, lets bulldoze more land and put up more buildings of brick and mortar that require taxes and upkeep and create traffic and pollution and destroy far more land than any graveyard ever does.

 

Who cares how anyone else feels or what their wishes are, because their dead right, and only the living matter. Why don't we just throw people in the garbage like spoiled milk and yesterdays newspaper? After all, they won't care and that is what landfills are for right? Disposing of that which is of no importance to the living.

 

I am all for green burials, eco-friendly solutions and finding ways to lower funeral costs and make it easier on families of the deceased.

 

But I am equally for respecting the dead and their wishes and those of their family who may be doing their best to represent that. I don't believe in the whole giant golden casket mentality some may have, but I do respect their right to want it for themselves. In the end the Earth will reclaim them no matter what. It will just take longer.

We also need to think of the environment as well.  I want to know this, why would a person want the commercial burial? You are putting your family and friends in the hole and the ecosystem becomes tainted. I'm not saying we should force people to conform, but that we need to get over our fear of death. Synthetic chemical preservation is death denial. Hell, they put formaldehyde in soda too, the same chemical used to preserve bodies. Disgusting. 

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

We also need to think of the environment as well.  I want to know this, why would a person want the commercial burial? You are putting your family and friends in the hole and the ecosystem becomes tainted. I'm not saying we should force people to conform, but that we need to get over our fear of death. Synthetic chemical preservation is death denial. Hell, they put formaldehyde in soda too, the same chemical used to preserve bodies. Disgusting. 

 

Who cares? It does not hurt the environment nearly as much as you are leading on if at all. A body rots period. The casket in the ground will break down over time... sure it takes longer but so the hell what? Were you planning to do something with that space down there in the ground personally? You can put any kind of casket in the ground you can dream of and plant a tree on top of it and it will still grow just dandy. How someone goes in the ground and what they take with them when they go is of virtually no consequences to anyone or anything.. I am way more concerned with what you do with what is on top of the ground than what you put below it in this particular case.

 

Death denial? Are you serious? Wanting to do things to make the family happy is death denial? They pump chemicals into the body to preserve it longer, not make it immortal or get it up walking around. It is meant to keep the bodies appearance far longer than is truly necessary I admit. I also will grant you that embalming has and is being looked upon pretty harshly since the chemicals can be so dangerous to the living and the fear they could contaminate drinking water. But embalming is a choice the family is currently free to make, and only awareness and spreading the word can fix that... most families do it because decomposition happens very quickly and body viewing can go for quite a  long time before actual burial. At some point a better and safer alternative may be found.

 

Aspartame is in soda... not formaldehyde. And there is a whole plot of research upon that topic. If it distresses you, don't drink the stuff.

[SunsetBaconDrive 169]

Who cares? It does not hurt the environment nearly as much as you are leading on if at all. A body rots period. The casket in the ground will break down over time... sure it takes longer but so the hell what? Were you planning to do something with that space down there in the ground personally? You can put any kind of casket in the ground you can dream of and plant a tree on top of it and it will still grow just dandy. How someone goes in the ground and what they take with them when they go is of virtually no consequences to anyone or anything.. I am way more concerned with what you do with what is on top of the ground than what you put below it in this particular case.

 

Death denial? Are you serious? Wanting to do things to make the family happy is death denial? They pump chemicals into the body to preserve it longer, not make it immortal or get it up walking around. It is meant to keep the bodies appearance far longer than is truly necessary I admit. I also will grant you that embalming has and is being looked upon pretty harshly since the chemicals can be so dangerous to the living and the fear they could contaminate drinking water. But embalming is a choice the family is currently free to make, and only awareness and spreading the word can fix that... most families do it because decomposition happens very quickly and body viewing can go for quite a  long time before actual burial. At some point a better and safer alternative may be found.

 

Aspartame is in soda... not formaldehyde. And there is a whole plot of research upon that topic. If it distresses you, don't drink the stuff.

So the body needs to be around longer.......because......? Oh yeah, entitlement and ego, I remember now. All that synthetic lab product will do wonders for the mineral life. 

[Stardust Balance 7,739]

So the body needs to be around longer.......because......? Oh yeah, entitlement and ego, I remember now. All that synthetic lab product will do wonders for the mineral life. 

What exactly are you trying to get out of this? You're not exactly providing good defenses to your arguments. In any case, let's just try to be all civil here.

[Anneal 2,197]

So the body needs to be around longer.......because......? Oh yeah, entitlement and ego, I remember now. All that synthetic lab product will do wonders for the mineral life.

 

You're jumping to conclusions. Many cultures, not just Western ones, embalm and preserve corpses for various reasons, whether it's religious, paying respects to certain people, or even purely scientific or archealogical. We wouldn't have nearly learned as much about ancient history if we didn't have mummified people (not just the Egyptians, by the way). And while this doesn't necessarily go with a burial, corpses donated to science do have to be preserved anyway for researching diseases or various other disorders.

 

"Everyone" huh? I certainly don't. Not one of my favorite places to go either but I do appreciate the space. Probably how I'm going to be buried one day.

 

Like what someone said on here already...plenty of cemeteries have been converted into parks or even historical locations. Some cemeteries, mostly military, in the US are designated national cemeteries, and every year famous cemeteries like Gettysburg or Arlington Memorial are visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists. Some are very beautiful and have a lot of historical meaning.

 

And actually, after living several years in Taiwan I can testify that Asians are actually more squeamish than whites on cemeteries or deathcare. Some Chinese, Japanese, and Taiwanese believe in the ideas of Fengshui (literally "wind and water"), which revolves around harmonizIng with your surroundings, and cemeteries are seen as giving out very bad fengshui while in the US it's seen in a more moderate light (and sometimes even increases property values!). Asian cultures tend to talk about death less, like I said. And in Japan and Taiwan, where most people are Buddhist, cremation is almost always the option for deathcare. Spreading ashes is a thing too in some Buddhist or Hindu sects.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

 

 

And actually, after living several years in Taiwan I can testify that Asians are actually more squeamish than whites on cemeteries or deathcare. Some Chinese, Japanese, and Taiwanese believe in the ideas of Fengshui (literally "wind and water"), which revolves around harmonizIng with your surroundings, and cemeteries are seen as giving out very bad fengshui

 

That's especially true in Japanese Shinto which places a great emphasis on "purity." Dead and rotting things, and those who handle them such as gravediggers at least historically, were considered "unclean."

 

 

 

Spreading ashes is a thing too in some Buddhist or Hindu sects.

 

Especially in the Ganges River, which is considered one of the holiest places in Hinduism.

 

Little off topic, I freely admit, but what expertise I DO posses is in world religions so I thought I would simply throw in two brief specifics.

[simba86 1,541]

the modern day funeral bussiness is a racket. they charge a ton of money to burry someone and I think it is insane to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on a fancy pillow lined casket that just gets burried. the fact that most funerals cost well over 10,000 dollars just goes to show what a scam the whole thing has become

 

Adam Ruins Everything - How Funerals Completely R…:

[Anneal 2,197]

the modern day funeral bussiness is a racket. they charge a ton of money to burry someone and I think it is insane to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on a fancy pillow lined casket that just gets burried. the fact that most funerals cost well over 10,000 dollars just goes to show what a scam the whole thing has become

 

Standard burial is actually a lot cheaper than $10K; caskets that are at least less than $2K are readily available. Regular wood caskets and steel caskets can easily be worth much less than $2K. Deathcare in the US isn't intentionally trying to inflate prices, but you have consumers who are vulnerable and end up paying for more funeral benefits than they need, usually forgetting that deathcare is still a business and not some government-run clergy (and really, there's no reason for the government to run it – it's just unnecessary). Purchasing caskets plated with titanium or copper greatly jumps the casket price, and you don't even need to pay for every single deathcare service.

 

Cremating is a much cheaper option though, and while it's been done by Hindus and Buddhists for quite some time it's even gained significant popularity by Christians. Even outside of religion it still remains popular because it's quick, only costs a few hundred dollars at most, and rather clean. 

 

 

That's especially true in Japanese Shinto which places a great emphasis on "purity." Dead and rotting things, and those who handle them such as gravediggers at least historically, were considered "unclean."

 

Especially in the Ganges River, which is considered one of the holiest places in Hinduism.

 

Little off topic, I freely admit, but what expertise I DO posses is in world religions so I thought I would simply throw in two brief specifics.

 

Yup, the Japanese, Taiwanese, and Chinese are rather conservative regarding deathcare, and sometimes you are not even allowed to talk about death openly. These Asian groups tend to be subtle in communication and stay away from these topics, much more than Western cultures. 

 

Interestingly, for a long time in China, cremation was seen as barbaric by Confucian scholars and the general public. While the Jurchen continued to cremate anyway, the Manchus finally made it popular, slowly but steadily during the Qing Dynasty. The Chinese Communist Party today enforces cremation policies with few exceptions. Taiwan and Japan more readily accepted cremation, however.

 

In Taiwan, around 92.5% of bodies are cremated; in Japan, it's a shocking 99.97%. Part of it has to do with practical reasons outside of religion or culture, especially since both Taiwan and Japan have very high population densities. Most flat space that isn't used commonly turns into farmland, which is why both countries cremate to save space and money. Cemeteries are usually placed in mountainous areas. 

[SunsetBaconDrive 169]

Standard burial is actually a lot cheaper than $10K; caskets that are at least less than $2K are readily available. Regular wood caskets and steel caskets can easily be worth much less than $2K. Deathcare in the US isn't intentionally trying to inflate prices, but you have consumers who are vulnerable and end up paying for more funeral benefits than they need, usually forgetting that deathcare is still a business and not some government-run clergy (and really, there's no reason for the government to run it – it's just unnecessary). Purchasing caskets plated with titanium or copper greatly jumps the casket price, and you don't even need to pay for every single deathcare service.

 

Cremating is a much cheaper option though, and while it's been done by Hindus and Buddhists for quite some time it's even gained significant popularity by Christians. Even outside of religion it still remains popular because it's quick, only costs a few hundred dollars at most, and rather clean. 

 

 

 

Yup, the Japanese, Taiwanese, and Chinese are rather conservative regarding deathcare, and sometimes you are not even allowed to talk about death openly. These Asian groups tend to be subtle in communication and stay away from these topics, much more than Western cultures. 

 

Interestingly, for a long time in China, cremation was seen as barbaric by Confucian scholars and the general public. While the Jurchen continued to cremate anyway, the Manchus finally made it popular, slowly but steadily during the Qing Dynasty. The Chinese Communist Party today enforces cremation policies with few exceptions. Taiwan and Japan more readily accepted cremation, however.

 

In Taiwan, around 92.5% of bodies are cremated; in Japan, it's a shocking 99.97%. Part of it has to do with practical reasons outside of religion or culture, especially since both Taiwan and Japan have very high population densities. Most flat space that isn't used commonly turns into farmland, which is why both countries cremate to save space and money. Cemeteries are usually placed in mountainous areas. 

You've been avoiding the main point of why I made this thread. Why put nature at expense because you want to preserve the body for no logical reason? I know its been going on for thousands of years. Hell funny too, dead mummies in Egypt have better teeth than people living today for goodness sake. You can't take your $12,000 coffin with you. That is death denial.. delaying nature's processes.

[Anneal 2,197]

You've been avoiding the main point of why I made this thread. Why put nature at expense because you want to preserve the body for no logical reason? I know its been going on for thousands of years. Hell funny too, dead mummies in Egypt have better teeth than people living today for goodness sake. You can't take your $12,000 coffin with you. That is death denial.. delaying nature's processes.

 

I never avoided the point, and others have already answered for me. People are not denying death by trying to preserve bodies, and people can rightfully do so for religious reasons, or donating to science or just doing it out of plain respect. Death can be dealt with in many ways, and your assumption of death denial is based off the idea that you know what other people who have gone through a loved one's death is thinking. 

 

Plenty of people have voiced solid reasons with clear evidence here, if anything you have been completely missing the point. When I voiced the illogic of Russia attacking the US you never even counter-argued on any of my reasons, of which I showed five, and you go off a tangent of saying "money isn't real". You're doing the same thing here, I've shown more than enough of my reasoning and evidence while you're blowing off with your own opinions. 

[SunsetBaconDrive 169]

I never avoided the point, and others have already answered for me. People are not denying death by trying to preserve bodies, and people can rightfully do so for religious reasons, or donating to science or just doing it out of plain respect. Death can be dealt with in many ways, and your assumption of death denial is based off the idea that you know what other people who have gone through a loved one's death is thinking. 

 

Plenty of people have voiced solid reasons with clear evidence here, if anything you have been completely missing the point. When I voiced the illogic of Russia attacking the US you never even counter-argued on any of my reasons, of which I showed five, and you go off a tangent of saying "money isn't real". You're doing the same thing here, I've shown more than enough of my reasoning and evidence while you're blowing off with your own opinions. 

Money is a crucial factor in starting wars. All of WWI and WWII were started because of war debtors. But on this topic now. Now you didn't give me a answer based on logical needs. I know death is awful and loss is something we all must go through. But putting junk in your body is not gonna do anything for you. Its like every other stupid thing we engage in. Our rituals and pointless shit we do just because we feel like it. And I stated no opinions in this post in regards to why traditional funerals are economically and environmentally dangerous, I posted facts and so have other people. 

 

Look dude, you can be buried or burned however you want, no one is stopping you. I'm just saying we're doing our descendants a great crime by leaving them in a trash heap world. Id be more fine with cremation if that wasn't an assembly line. I think the family should bury their dead. Its the right thing to do and honestly that's your loved one. You're gonna have someone else provide service and pay them? Why?

[Light of Night 332]

For us humans who are capable of doing the most astonishing things in the name of an abstract concept, nature can matter little in the name of honoring someone according to their last wishes.  It has been so since our ancestors came up with the very idea of burial, spirits, and gods.  Ideas are as mortal as the world.

 

 

 

I think the family should bury their dead. Its the right thing to do and honestly that's your loved one.

 

I hope you remember that people differ on what is "the right thing" to do in any given situation.  And you are right, that is my loved one.  If my loved one wanted me to make a special occasion out of their funeral with the help of a service, I will do so within my means, even if I do believe that it's unnecessary and costly.

Edited October 15, 2016 by Light of Night

[Krampus 197]

Considering I grew up around death (my father is a funeral director/embalmer), this topic interests me somewhat.

 

It kind of pisses me off how easy it is for people just to piss on others for simply doing their job. My father works his ass off day and night, working long hours, barely seeing his family, just to help people say goodbye to their loved ones. When people start calling him a "vampire" and his occupation, which he has worked himself grey for, a money laundering scheme, I get angry. People have no idea the amount of stress and work it is to take care of something like the dead.

 

You think you'd help the earth by dumping your corpse in a ditch and just leaving it at that? Well aside from the obvious sanitation problems, think about the people who are having to do this job. It's thankless, completely thankless, because some twats see them as "evil" or "unclean" when all they're trying to do is put a body to rest, whether through "green burial" or traditional.

 

Granted, I will admit the prices for caskets and ceremonies are too high. Even my father admitted as much. There is no way it should be that expensive, but if people want their loved ones to feel comfortable (despite being dead), than that's their business, not ours.

[SunsetBaconDrive 169]

Considering I grew up around death (my father is a funeral director/embalmer), this topic interests me somewhat.

 

It kind of pisses me off how easy it is for people just to piss on others for simply doing their job. My father works his ass off day and night, working long hours, barely seeing his family, just to help people say goodbye to their loved ones. When people start calling him a "vampire" and his occupation, which he has worked himself grey for, a money laundering scheme, I get angry. People have no idea the amount of stress and work it is to take care of something like the dead.

 

You think you'd help the earth by dumping your corpse in a ditch and just leaving it at that? Well aside from the obvious sanitation problems, think about the people who are having to do this job. It's thankless, completely thankless, because some twats see them as "evil" or "unclean" when all they're trying to do is put a body to rest, whether through "green burial" or traditional.

 

Granted, I will admit the prices for caskets and ceremonies are too high. Even my father admitted as much. There is no way it should be that expensive, but if people want their loved ones to feel comfortable (despite being dead), than that's their business, not ours.

Dead bodies pose no health and sanitary issues. The ground is supposed to take bodies in and the minerals work from there. And I didn't insult your father. That's like me arguing with the cashier when I should be fighting the CEO. It isn't your father's fault

[Anneal 2,197]

Money is a crucial factor in starting wars. All of WWI and WWII were started because of war debtors. But on this topic now. Now you didn't give me a answer based on logical needs. I know death is awful and loss is something we all must go through. But putting junk in your body is not gonna do anything for you. Its like every other stupid thing we engage in. Our rituals and pointless shit we do just because we feel like it. And I stated no opinions in this post in regards to why traditional funerals are economically and environmentally dangerous, I posted facts and so have other people. 

 

Look dude, you can be buried or burned however you want, no one is stopping you. I'm just saying we're doing our descendants a great crime by leaving them in a trash heap world. Id be more fine with cremation if that wasn't an assembly line. I think the family should bury their dead. Its the right thing to do and honestly that's your loved one. You're gonna have someone else provide service and pay them? Why?

So the body needs to be around longer.......because......? Oh yeah, entitlement and ego, I remember now. All that synthetic lab product will do wonders for the mineral life. 

 

Stated no opinions? 

 

 

What are you talking about? People have been buried very differently from "green burial" for thousands of years as well; the Tibetians saw birds of preys as a path to heaven and left corpses for them to scavenge, while Indians and Bengalis have been cremating for several centuries now because their culture believes burial was "impure" (the Indian subcontinent was heavily agricultural and this came from the common belief that it made the land infertile and took up space). Also, cremation's effect on air pollution is insignificant; it only pumps .3% of yearly gaseous emissions and mercury. You'll have better luck dealing with cars rather than crematoriums.

 

Also, plenty of Western cultures openly discuss or even accept death. Mini-cemeteries are popular in Northern Europe, Christians and Muslims see death as a transition to an afterlife state (atheists don't care about all that), and in Central America people have days that celebrate the dead. Many deathcare practices have creeped into the US and Canada as well. If anything, Asian cultures treat death more quietly than Westerners and often get a bit uneasy on standard deathcare there. (White is the funeral color, not black, and in some cultures it can take weeks or even months to actually do ceremonies.)

 

These are facts. According to the EPA, crematoriums make only about .32 imperial tons of mercury...compared to at least 160 imperial tons from cement production and as much at 700 tons from mining and refining. I can cite much more, if anything you're basing your evidence off of vague "facts" that have little relevance. 

 

Back to the topic. While I would agree that refrigerating the body is better than embalming, embalming uses 800,000 gallons of formaldehyde yearly. While that may sound like a lot, that translates to about 3000 imperial tons of formaldehyde...out of 3.4 million tons of the same product manufactured yearly. It's a harmful chemical but in burials alone it is hardly significant enough to account for overall pollution. And more recently there's been embalmers that do not use formaldehyde but other oils. The embalming process in burial can be removed all together in traditional burials as well. Other than the embalming fluids, metal caskets have very little effect on ground pollution and wooden caskets are easily degradable. 

 

In fact, "green burials" can still cause groundwater pollution, not because of any sort of toxicity, but that human bodies can increase concentrations of naturally occurring organic and inorganic substances, and pathogenic organisms can be retained within the soil. They're no different regarding the corpse on environmental effect, but green burials does remove most of the hassle. 

 

If you really want to go for climate change, focusing on cemeteries when there are other pollutants that do several times more damage is silly. And cremation is receiving newer and newer technologies that significant reduce any sort of small environmental impact it has. If I wanted to be concerned about traditional burial, maybe it'll be about the space it takes over but environmentally it's hardly significant enough to bother. 

[simba86 1,541]

It cost about 10,000 dollars to bury my grandmother just having a barebones funeral, and she had already purchased a grave site before she had died. it should not cost that much to bury someone, I have yet to see a poor funeral home owner

Considering I grew up around death (my father is a funeral director/embalmer), this topic interests me somewhat.

 

It kind of pisses me off how easy it is for people just to piss on others for simply doing their job. My father works his ass off day and night, working long hours, barely seeing his family, just to help people say goodbye to their loved ones. When people start calling him a "vampire" and his occupation, which he has worked himself grey for, a money laundering scheme, I get angry. People have no idea the amount of stress and work it is to take care of something like the dead.

 

You think you'd help the earth by dumping your corpse in a ditch and just leaving it at that? Well aside from the obvious sanitation problems, think about the people who are having to do this job. It's thankless, completely thankless, because some twats see them as "evil" or "unclean" when all they're trying to do is put a body to rest, whether through "green burial" or traditional.

 

Granted, I will admit the prices for caskets and ceremonies are too high. Even my father admitted as much. There is no way it should be that expensive, but if people want their loved ones to feel comfortable (despite being dead), than that's their business, not ours.