No funeral service seems to be complete, whether it is a real one, or in a movie, without the line “? and we commit his body to the ground; earth to earth; ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” being spoken by the minister or priest officiating the service. I looked up the phrase. It isn”t in the Bible, but is found on page 485 of the current American version of the Book of Common Prayer. Over the past half-century, even though the aforementioned words are often delivered over the body of the deceased, in reality we have done almost everything possible to slow down the process of the body becoming one with the earth.
Going back in time, it wasn”t all that long ago when people were buried in simple wooden caskets and prior to that, simply wrapped in a burial shroud made of cloth. Over the past decades, though, caskets have become an almost impenetrable fortress for housing the dead. At many cemeteries, these time capsule-like coffins are then placed inside a sealed, concrete burial vault for even longer protection. When it is clear that nature intended our remains to be part of the “ultimate recycling program,” it makes one wonder why we have worked so hard to prolong the process.
I believe the future funeral service is going to be quite different. There is going to be a whole new meaning to the term “going green.” The changes are happening right now. One of my adopted states, New Mexico, where I lived for five years, is one of the leaders in this new era. The concept is called eco-burial. An eco-burial removes the non-biodegradable metal coffin, the concrete burial vault and the toxic embalming fluids. In some licensed New Mexico eco-burial cemeteries caskets are not even allowed, only a cloth burial shroud is used to prepare the body for interment.
In my home state of Kansas, a cemetery in Lawrence has opened up a section dedicated to “green funerals.” There, the gravestones can only be made from natural rock and there can be no “artificial flowers, ornaments or other grave decorations.” Perfect, green sod is not used after burial, but wildflowers and natural grasses grow over the graves to return the area to its natural habitat.
Since Rachel Carson”s eye-opening book “Silent Spring” fueled the environmental movement of the 1970s, the efforts and number of people involved in “living green” has grown annually. Today, the effects of the movement are clear no matter where you go or what you do. From grocery products to lawn fertilizer and the sprays we use to kill bugs, thankfully, there are green choices. It is only fitting that the people who environmentally “talk the talk and walk the walk” while living, have an opportunity to do the same in death.
Do you realize that from 50 to 80 million people die each year on Earth? As the population soars higher, that number is going to continue to grow. It seems logical that eventually eco-burial is the only system of caring for our dead that will make sense, or, perhaps, be allowed.
I”m not a trekkie, but, with Star Trek hot again, I do think that Captain Kirk”s statement to Lieutenant junior grade Saavik (played by Kirstie Alley) in Star Trek II ? The Wrath of Khan was about as wise as I have heard on the subject of death. He said, “How we deal with death is at least as important as how we deal with life, wouldn”t you say?”
I have never been one to dwell on the subject of death, but since we are in that realm much longer than in life, what we want done with our body in death should be given ample contemplation. I”ve decided I”m going to “go green.”
Gary Dickson is the editor and publisher of the Record-Bee. He can be reached at gdickson@record-bee.com or 263-5636, ext. 24.
