Green Cremation: Options and Considerations

These days, many people focus on the environmental impact that their death and final rest will make. They want to reduce their carbon footprint, and this goal extends past their final days. With these options, cremation Albany can be a green choice, as well as a cost-effective decision. Can Cremation be Green? Many people worry that the consumption of fossil fuels that is needed to convert a body to ashes makes cremation an environmentally unfriendly choice for handling a person’s earthly remains. However, this is not necessarily true. The Green Burial Council notes that cremation does involve burning a lot of fossil fuels and possibly leaking some contaminants into the atmosphere. However, more recent crematoria are generally more energy efficient. Equipment coming to the market soon will decrease the likelihood that heavy metals (such as mercury from dental amalgam fillings) are sent into the atmosphere.

Preparing the Body There are many ways to prepare the body that are better for the environment. People do not have to have their bodies embalmed before cremation, or they can request natural embalming solutions for their bodies. This is a viable choice for people to make whether they plan to be cremated or buried traditionally. Biodegradable Burial The ultimate goal is avoid the most severe of environmental impacts, and the method of disposition for of ashes makes a significant difference. Many urns are placed in a columbarium or in urn vaults with a headstone in a traditional cemetery.

While the concrete is technically natural, the energy used to produce it makes it a choice that is less environmentally friendly, according to the GBC. Instead, people might opt for a biodegradable burial approach, by either scattering the ashes or burying them in a biodegradable urn. There are hundreds of options for either, so that families can find a burial method that suits them and their loved ones ideally. Some people think that cremation cannot possibly be green, but there are ways to make it better for the environment. By researching and making a more educated decision, people can have the flexibility that cremation provides them without causing negative effects to the environment.