Do you care about what happens to your body?

[APharmaDestroyedLife]

Recomposting is legal only in State of Washington, where the bill takes effect in May 2020. It is not legal in any other states, so you would have to pay multiple $1000's to fly your body to Washington State, which would defeat the purpose of reducing carbon footprint and being environmentally friendly.

It will be interesting to see what happens with this method when there is a first outbreak of some deadly disease where diseased dead recomposting bodies present a health and environmental hazard. Heck there was a measles outbreak in USA. If for some freak reason plague gets revived, good luck with recomposting!

It is nice to think of body becoming part of earth, but those methods do not exist legally in all States. Only traditional burial and cremation are widely available in all States. Maybe Washington's experiment will be observed by other States, which may pass bills to legalize recomposting down the road. But right now it is not available.

Neither is burial at sea, which was something I looked into. It is illegal in the State where I live, and even getting permit etc would cost multiple $1000's vs direct cremation costs only $900-1000. Thus far cremation remains the cheapest option and while it is environmentally better than traditional burials, it still has some negative impact on the environment.

In Tibet and India, in some religions, they feed the body to the vultures. The bones I believe are ground up and mixed with flour or something, not entirely sure, and fed to the crows, if I recall correctly. I think it is called Tower of Silence. I guess if one really wanted to become carrion feed, one could walk out into a desert and die there!

Wandering deep into any of the National Parks and dying there would make one's body a natural bears, wolves, wild boars' feed, if one is so inclined.

It's funny that California has always claimed to be so "progressive" yet medically assisted suicide is not legal here, and even though they advertise on local TV for the composting service for human remains, i guess it's not legal here? At least not yet... But hey you can buy all the weed you want.

Funny to think about burning Jet fuel for a "green" funeral...

There is a place in Japan called Aokigahara that is very much like you describe. People just wander off with their method and die. Some just go wandering and die from the elements and nature.

I like the idea of being one with the earth, but i suppose once all the energy leaves our bodies we become one with everything.

 

[Moonicide]

I would like to be cremated and have my ashes nurture a plant or have them scattered by the lake near me, but ultimately, I'll be dead. And whatever happens, happens. I wrote my final wishes down and everything.

 

[cosmicpixiedust]

You can also become part of an artificial coral reef:

Eternal Reefs » Living legacies that memorialize our loved ones

Eternal Reefs combines a cremation urn, ash scattering, & green burial at sea into an environmental memorial while creating new marine habitats for sea life

www.eternalreefs.com

Kinda neat.

 

[Meant2Die]

Cremated, but don't care where the ashes go. My body is just a vessel, although I do love it once I'm out I have no care for something special to happen to it. I'd like to donate organs but having a chronic illlness that affects them badly means I WOULD NEVER want anyone to get one of them. The disease would just spread in a new body.

 

[Rena rossy]

I just don't want my family to spend too much money on that, being buried is too expensive I would like to be cremated. I am leaving an amount for that for when I am gone.

 

[underthesea]

It's funny that California has always claimed to be so "progressive" yet medically assisted suicide is not legal here, and even though they advertise on local TV for the composting service for human remains, i guess it's not legal here? At least not yet... But hey you can buy all the weed you want.

Funny to think about burning Jet fuel for a "green" funeral...

There is a place in Japan called Aokigahara that is very much like you describe. People just wander off with their method and die. Some just go wandering and die from the elements and nature.

I like the idea of being one with the earth, but i suppose once all the energy leaves our bodies we become one with everything.

California legalized "water cremation" which is essentially liquefying the body in alkali (not water) but it creates disposable water apparently which gets flushed down the drain, and only bones and any medical implants are left. Essentially one gets flushed down! Lol!
Supposed to be "green". You can Google it.

Yes, know about Aokigahara. I mentioned it in the thread where someone asked suggestions for remote places to go and not be found.

Don't ask me why I know all these morbid ways of getting rid of a body! Personally I wish I knew a "Dexter" who would have dumped my body in the ocean to be eaten by fish!

I would like to be cremated and have my ashes nurture a plant or have them scattered by the lake near me, but ultimately, I'll be dead. And whatever happens, happens. I wrote my final wishes down and everything.

Unfortunately cremation ashes do not provide nutrients to plants and are actually harmful. Places that offer ashes to be used to grow plants use specially formulated soil, in which only small amount of ashes can be mixed.

"Cremation ashes may be harmful when placed in the soil or around trees or plants. While cremains are composed of nutrients that plants require, primarily calcium, potassium and phosphorus, human ashes also contain an extremely high amount of salt, which is toxic for most plants and can be leached into the soil.
Additionally, cremains don't contain other essential micronutrients such as manganese, carbon and zinc. This nutritional imbalance may actually hinder plant growth. For example, too much calcium in soil can quickly reduce the supply of nitrogen, and may also limit photosynthesis.
And finally, cremation ashes have a very high pH level, which can be toxic to many plants because it prevents the natural release of beneficial nutrients within the soil."

 

[Green Destiny]

I'd prefer my body to be cremated when I die as I don't wan't to leave my body behind and I definitely don't wan't my body to be buried in the ground. Just scatter my ashes back into the earth as soil for the tree's.

 

[underthesea]

You can also become part of an artificial coral reef:

Eternal Reefs » Living legacies that memorialize our loved ones

Eternal Reefs combines a cremation urn, ash scattering, & green burial at sea into an environmental memorial while creating new marine habitats for sea life

www.eternalreefs.com

Kinda neat.

Cost of Eternal reefs is ridiculous- $3,000- 6000.

Plus they are not eco friendly. One has to be cremated first anyways, so like all cremations, it uses fossil fuels and throws mercury etc in the air.

Also, they're made from cement. "Cement plants generate 2.4 percent of the world's CO2 emissions, and global cement production is about two billion metric tons a year; each of the 200 or so funerary reef balls laid annually uses at least a quarter of a ton."

It is just fancy schmancy and very expensive way for people to somehow feel they are part of the ocean. Like people who get their ashes on rockets to be fired into space!

 

[cosmicpixiedust]

Cost of Eternal reefs is ridiculous- $3,000- 6000.

Plus they are not eco friendly. One has to be cremated first anyways, so like all cremations, it uses fossil fuels and throws mercury etc in the air.

Also, they're made from cement. "Cement plants generate 2.4 percent of the world's CO2 emissions, and global cement production is about two billion metric tons a year; each of the 200 or so funerary reef balls laid annually uses at least a quarter of a ton."

It is just fancy schmancy and very expensive way for people to somehow feel they are part of the ocean. Like people who get their ashes on rockets to be fired into space!

Well that's disappointing! Oh well, maybe in the future there will be a more eco friendly options to be involved in the ocean. I don't understand the people who want to fire their ashes into space, but to each their own.

 

[BlueWidow]

It puzzles me why all of these ways to dispose of a body are so expensive, particularly so-called eco-friendly ways.
If we are really in the middle of a climate crisis like the politicians and activists are always screaming about, then why don't they make some of these environmentally friendly ways to dispose of a body more accessible to people. . . and I mean regular people, not just the wealthy.

Cremation seems to be the cheapest method, but one of the least environmentally friendly.

 

[underthesea]

Well that's disappointing! Oh well, maybe in the future there will be a more eco friendly options to be involved in the ocean. I don't understand the people who want to fire their ashes into space, but to each their own.

Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon took ashes of 150+ people if I recall correctly. Celestis is another company that takes ashes to space. They don't take entire body's ashes, just like 1 gm of ashes in a capsule for $5,000 to orbit around the Earth. I think the capsule orbits for 2 yrs then re-enters Earth's atmosphere like a shooting star. Don't recall all details. You can check Celesti's website. I think they also take ashes to deep space or lunar surface for $10,000-15,000 for 1 gm of ashes. Apparently lot of astronauts, engineers, space buffs, even 1 Star Trek actor used this. Essentially rich folks who dream of being among the stars.

 

[cosmicpixiedust]

Elon Musk's SpaceX Falcon took ashes of 150+ people if I recall correctly. Celestis is another company that takes ashes to space. They don't take entire body's ashes, just like 1 gm of ashes in a capsule for $5,000 to orbit around the Earth. I think the capsule orbits for 2 yrs then re-enters Earth's atmosphere like a shooting star. Don't recall all details. You can check Celesti's website. I think they also take ashes to deep space or lunar surface for $10,000-15,000 for 1 gm of ashes. Apparently lot of astronauts, engineers, space buffs, even 1 Star Trek actor used this. Essentially rich folks who dream of being among the stars.

That is very interesting! I will definitely have to look at Celesti's website in the morning, I had no idea. Not going to lie, if I had a boatload of money and were still suicidal I would totally have one of those as an alternative plan. I love astronomy.

 

[k75]

I'm not picky, but I have an irrational fear of cremation.

 

[not-2-b-the-answer]

I want to be cremated. They can throw my ashes in a dumpster or flush them down a toilet. If I go the way I plan, they won't be able to use my body parts for anything. I know it's selfish but even if they could, I don't want my body parts used for anyone else. I don't want ANY part of me left here when I'm gone except ashes.

There is also THIS:

FBI found bucket of human heads, body parts sewn together at donation facility: report

An Arizona body donation facility is being sued after the FBI reportedly found buckets full of body parts, male genitalia in a cooler, and heads and bodies of different people sewn together.Eight f…

thehill.com

 

[underthesea]

Hi I

It puzzles me why all of these ways to dispose of a body are so expensive, particularly so-called eco-friendly ways.
Cremation seems to be the cheapest method, but one of the least environmentally friendly.

Cremation is not the least environmentally friendly way- traditional burial is. Burial takes space, then all that nice green lawn in cemetery takes water etc. Embalming involves toxic chemicals that leach in the ground and are also harmful to funeral workers. Metal Caskets, cement vaults to prevent ground from sinking etc it all ads up to being the worst method, not to mention expensive.

One can use natural burials, with no embalming, with a shroud or without, or using biodegradable caskets bamboo, willow etc. But burials will still take up space. They can plant trees on top of natural buried body. The cost is still $3000-5000, more expensive than cremation.

Also, people can use liquefying body vs cremation. See my prior post above. Personally, it sound horrid to me.

Actually, with trend of "green" things the cost of biodegradable stuff has gone up. I looked into biodegradable urn and the cost was extra $250 for a stupid urn made from coconut and leaves stuff. Then they had even more expensive urns made from Koa wood, or even Himalayan salt! The whole thing was ridiculous. I just got cheap plastic urn, with biodegradable bag, which is included in cost of direct cremation and is not extra, like getting biodegradable urns. The mortuary will end up reusing the plastic urn after they drop the biodegradable bag, with my ashes, in the ocean!

The funeral business is a multi billion $ biz. Their profits come from selling stuff like caskets, urns, vaults, viewing what not. So they sell more elaborate stuff, and many people want that. In USA, it is dominated by one company, so they aren't going to do stuff that affects their profit margins.

 

[TearyEyedQueen]

I wanna be cremated so that my family isn't bothered with paying for me to stay in the ground. I also don't want a funeral full of fake people.

 

[Azzy69]

No, it expect it to be thrown away like a piece of garbage.

 

[MaybeAlone92]

Everyone has vastly different ideas on what they would like done with their bodies, and some have no opinion at all. What about you guys? Are there any ideas you've thrown around? Or does it not matter? I want my organs to be harvested/donated and my body to be donated to the Knoxville Anthropology Department.

No. I'm religious and I know that whatever happens with me after death, Lord can put together all parts of my body when the time will come. Furthermore.. you can't influence what others do with your body. That's my opinion.

 

[Rdc]

i just want to die. I could care less about my body after I'm dead.

 

[thepolarbear]

Good old cremation always sounded good to me.

 

[Pan]

I don't care at all. I'm glad that being dead I don't have to think about anything in life.

I agree with you. If you commit suicide, you are saying NO to life and it's woes and worries Suicide is a deeply personal experience; it is not for the faint of heart. ..who ultimately cares what happens to your corpus? You are free. Period.

 

[Deformationalplagio]

No, i hate my body

 

[Anathema]

Not really ill leave it to the powers that be.

 

[Verklempt]

i prefer my body to be cremated. i would like my ashes to be poured out in a lovely area, so whenever someone visit me they would see the amazing scenery. so that they won't be sad that i'm gone but happy that they came.

 

[cosmicpixiedust]

i would like my body to be cremated. i would like my ashes to be poured out in a lovely area, so whenever someone visit me they would see the amazing scenery. so that they won't be sad that i'm gone but happy that they came.

That is very sweet!

 

[MysticPerception]

I definitely want any of my organs that can be donated to be donated to people who want to live. Otherwise just burn the rest of me it's not like I need it. A gravestone is pointless just plant a flower for me and call that my grave. I don't want my family to waste money on a tombstone but I doubt they would not get one for me.

 

[Pan]

It's funny that California has always claimed to be so "progressive" yet medically assisted suicide is not legal here, and even though they advertise on local TV for the composting service for human remains, i guess it's not legal here? At least not yet... But hey you can buy all the weed you want.

Funny to think about burning Jet fuel for a "green" funeral...

There is a place in Japan called Aokigahara that is very much like you describe. People just wander off with their method and die. Some just go wandering and die from the elements and nature.

I like the idea of being one with the earth, but i suppose once all the energy leaves our bodies we become one with everything.

It matters like little if you are at one with the earth; you remain bonded to the earth, whether you want to be or not.

 

[Beside You In Time.]

For those of you who do not want your organs harvested and your body to remain intact for burial or cremation make sure they do not find your body for at least 24 hours. After that time your organs can no longer be harvested. You'll want to leave everything you've taken to CTB out in the open next to your body along with a suicide note with a notarized will to help eliminate an autopsy. I personally don't want my dead body violated, chested cracked open and sewn back together, skull sawed open, brain weighed, etc. I find peace in knowing that my body will be cremated intact along with all of my organs. Nobody ever gave me anything so why would I give some random person part of me? Compensate me for my organs while I'm alive.

 

[Pan]

Good old cremation always sounded good to me.

Cremation seems to be the answer—do the planet a favor; relieve it of one less corpus.

 

[NotGoneButNotHere]

Would like organs to be donated but ultimately I don't care