We don’t mean to be disrespectful, but have you ever noticed, the first three letters of “funeral” are FUN? You may be already living a green lifestyle, but why not check out a more sustainable deathstyle too? Welcome to the weird & wonderful world of green burials, where an entirely new industry competes for your funeral budget!
Let’s not get too – well – grave, but with the world population passing seven billion and an estimated 150,000 people dying daily, we ought to take a closer look at how exactly we celebrate life’s end. Maybe explore new options that respect and celebrate the deceased as well as the planet we leave behind. So as our family and friends say a friendly goodbye to us, we can do the same by waving an eco-friendly goodbye to our precious planet.
How does the ME do death?
Talking about death is uncomfortable. Doubly so when modern funeral practices increasingly jeopardize the environment. While the Western funeral industry scrambles to become less polluting, they could instead take a few pages from the Islamic burial playbook.
Did you know Islamic funerals are inherently “green”? Ancient nomadic peoples with limited resources developed the simplest methods of dealing with their dead. Over centuries, traditions evolved - varying by region, but all following basic rituals (dictated by sharia law) that are some of the most earth-friendly practices around.
In Islam (and this part is similar for Orthodox and conservative Jews), within hours of death, the body is carefully bathed by same-sex family members and wrapped in a modest cloth shroud (kafan). Prayers are recited, and - after well-wishers pay their respects - the deceased is buried in a grave (without a casket) perpendicular to the qiblah, positioned so that his or her head points towards Mecca.
Cremation and embalming are forbidden - wisely, as both are proven pollutants to our air and water. In the parched Middle East, water-guzzling cemeteries carpeted with grass (kept artificially lush with toxic pesticides and weed killers) are a rare exception, and Islam tends to skip extravagant headstones.
Dying to be eco-friendly!
Fancy meeting your maker wrapped up in wool? Or maybe merge-with-mulch in the afterlife? But what if you live outside of this region; how can you buck Western trends (and in some cases, mandatory burial regulations) and stay close to planet-friendly practices?
Here, we unearth 10 ways to keep your funeral "eco-friendly," while kissing the world a green goodbye!
