colorful memorial gemstones ready to be set into jewelry to keep a loved one close. Resomation, or bio-cremation,


liquefies the body in a heated alka- line bath, using far less energy than traditional cremation and without environmentally harmful chemical emissions; afterward, the bones are ground, resembling cremains, and are returned to the family. Promession is a way to freeze-


dry the body by immersion in liquid nitrogen at -321° F. When it becomes brittle, vibrations shake the corpse into small pieces, water is evaporated and the dust that remains can be used as compost. Invented by Swedish biologist Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak, she feels it’s the utmost Earth-friendly way to return a body to the soil. As people opt to avoid the higher


costs of a traditional funeral and elect practical, eco-friendly ways to exit the human scene, natural burials can become more accepted ways to achieve Biblical dust-to-dust while doing no harm.


Connect with the freelance writer via AveryMack@mindspring.com.


GONE GREEN


Each year, traditional funerals use and bury:


n Hardwoods for caskets (30 million board feet)


n Steel for caskets (90,272 tons, plus 14,000 tons for vaults)


n Copper and bronze for caskets (2,700 tons)


n Reinforced concrete for vaults (1.636 million tons)


n Embalming fluids (827,060 gallons)


Earth-friendly methods: n Cost about half as much as a traditional funeral.


n Use non-toxic embalming fluids. n Offer biodegradable caskets.


n Replace quarried headstones with natural stone or greenery.


n Restore native plant areas, reducing invasive species, mowing and herbicides.


n Contribute to peace of mind with a green legacy.


Source: Casket and Funeral Supply Association of America


For more information, visit www.usgbcnc.org


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