Ecological burial

September 17, 2004 11:19 AM

Capsula Mundi is an Italian project to promote ecological burial. Alternatively, those who prefer the sea can become reefs. A Swedish company has come up with a freezing method. [Via Aeiou and MoFi.]
posted by homunculus (10 comments total)

Very cool, homunculus. I'd love to donate my leftovers to a reef.
posted by Shane at 11:47 AM on September 17, 2004

The Capsulla Mundi concept is exactly what I've always said I wanted done to my corpse! Excellent!
posted by Pollomacho at 12:08 PM on September 17, 2004

Eternal reefs is cool but there are significant ecological tradeoffs involved with concrete production.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 12:50 PM on September 17, 2004

this is awesome - thank you as I had no idea this stuff was going on. I've always hated the idea of the usual burial and always said to give my body to science. Now I know there are choices.
posted by evening at 1:03 PM on September 17, 2004

There is an even newer reef building technique now being tried off the coast of Africa. Lots and lots of metal cables are laid out in a grid pattern, then a tiny amount (60W/week) of current is run through them. This attracts deposits to form on the cables, which in turn are idea for organic reef growth at 3-4 times the natural rate. After the reef is started, the cable degrades and connecting lines to shore power are removed.
posted by kablam at 1:43 PM on September 17, 2004

stiff: the curious life of human cadavers has a chapter on a swedish human composting burial alternative. (if i recall correctly, there're some problems with "natural decay" when the body is in a box, however biodegradable, under the ground.)

stiff was an oddly enjoyable book.
posted by crush-onastick at 1:58 PM on September 17, 2004

oops. meant to link to this article about promessa not to promessa, again.
posted by crush-onastick at 2:01 PM on September 17, 2004

I've been planning on being a cadaver, but I there is something very comforting about being compost. I like this idea (as much as I can like anything relating to my death).
posted by gesamtkunstwerk at 4:34 PM on September 17, 2004

Here's an interesting article from the San Francisco Chronicle about a cemetery in the area that's "the country's first permanently protected cemetery, nature preserve and wildlife sanctuary."

I'd like to be mulch.
posted by DakotaPaul at 4:49 PM on September 17, 2004

Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes:
Nothing of him that doth fade
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell...

Oh yes. The reef for me.
posted by jokeefe at 6:22 PM on September 17, 2004