The Detail Sharp Lady Fact Sheet No. 1
(Stats source: Our Last Best Act, Mallory McDuff)
- Biodegradable burial containers are more affordable, simpler, and better for the environment than many of their conventional counterparts. Conventional burial containers, from caskets to urns, have a higher carbon footprint than biodegradable ones and can often leach toxic chemicals. e.g., stains or varnishes into soil.
- Average costs of a green burial container is $275-$3000 compared with a range of $2000-$20,000 for a conventional casket. The average cost of a casket of metal or imported wood was $2000-$5000. Also, the wooden ones contribute to deforestation. Caskets used in natural burial were made from fast-growing pine.
- No federal or state laws require purchasing a casket from a funeral director. They are sold at wholesale stores, handmade, shrouds, and made from cardboard. Shroud burials is an orthodox Jew and certain Muslims tradition.
- Burying caskets require almost 2,500 pounds of concrete… for the sake of mowing. Closing the grave with a mound of dirt, a greener solution, can prevent the soil from settling below ground.
- Flame cremation requires 2 million BTUs per an hour of energy emitting greenhouse gases and other compounds, including mercury from fillings. US Military consumes the most fossil fuels in the world. The United States produces 250,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year, equivalent to burning 30 million gallons of gas.
- The cremation rate in the United States has been increasing steadily. Projections from the Cremation Association of North America forecast a rate of 59.4% in 2023. In many other countries, cremation remains a popular choice; 99.9 % Japan, 85% Switzerland, and 80% Thailand.
- Alkaline Hydrolysis, a popular and sustainable form of cremation, total carbon footprint is 1/10 of flame cremation. It produces 58 kg of carbon dioxide, compared to 243 kg from flame cremation.
authored.posted 9/2024