Before starting my story I apologize for using the human composting expression, I know some people don't like it but I'm afraid my English vocabulary is rather poor, I don't know what word could I use here.
I had a post a while ago when the news broke about the possibility of this alternative to to burying or cremating human remains.
Ashes to ashes, guts to dirt, says the article published by nbcnews.com about Gov. Jay Inslee signing legislation by which Washington becomes the first state to approve human composting.
It allows licensed facilities to offer "natural organic reduction," which turns a body, mixed with substances such as wood chips and straw, into about two wheelbarrows' worth of soil in a span of several weeks.
Loved ones are allowed to keep the soil to spread, just as they might spread the ashes of someone who has been cremated — or even use it to plant vegetables or a tree.
"It gives meaning and use to what happens to our bodies after death," said Nora Menkin, executive director of the Seattle-based People's Memorial Association, which helps people plan for funerals.
Supporters say the method is an environmentally friendly alternative to cremation, which releases carbon dioxide and particulates into the air, and conventional burial, in which people are drained of their blood, pumped full of formaldehyde and other chemicals that can pollute groundwater, and placed in a nearly indestructible coffin, taking up land. source
Studies show that wood chips, alfalfa and straw have to be used for composting, these create a mixture of nitrogen and carbon, you can accelerates natural decomposition of the human body. A temperature- and moisture-controlled vessel is needed for the process that have to be rotated.
If you can put aside the thought of being about a human body and only look at the effects of cremation and also take into consideration how much money and space is needed to set up and manage cemeteries, you might see the good side of things.
In my country cemeteries lease out space for a certain period and if the lease is not period, the place is given to someone else. Cities have limited land, cemeteries are often at the outskirts of the city, keeping every grave intact for years is a luxury that the city can't afford, no matter how sad it is.
Looks like not everyone is happy with this new method, some are considering it undignified or disgusting.
I'm all for protecting nature, reducing, reusing and recycling, that's not a secret, however, I'm not sure I would opt for this method. Call me old fashioned but I'd prefer the old method. However, I have nothing against others opting for this new method.
That being said, there's only one matter we should discuss and it's an important one!
Making a grave, setting up a headstone in the cemetery also means writing history. Let's remember how many stones were discovered and served as evidence that certain people or nations were living there once. Many were destroyed by wars, natural calamities or governments that wanted to destroy all the evidence indicating that those people were living there. If there will be no graves, this way of writing history will die as well.
Sign up for Actifit, the best fitness tracker and start earning Steem and Afit tokens. Click HERE
I agree and I actually love walking through cemeteries and reading the inscribed writings on the gravestones. There is a certain part of history that I agree, is part of what was discovered on these stones.
I also agree that there is a certain part of me that says, ashes to ashes, dust to dust and we should not use this space for emotional reasons.
So torn.
I do love knowing my mother is buried in a place of her own and I can lay flowers down as a gesture of remembrance, but, in my heart, I will never forget her.
A very interesting write and I will have to admit, I would miss gravesites for all the history of my own family I have collected.
Looks like we think alike, I feel the same. I would like to have a place for my loved ones (and I have) where to bring flowers from time to time. But I understand the need to do this as well.
I think it's going to be controversial at first but with time it might gain more followers. Time will tell anyway.
Very interesting. I might rethink having my cremated remains made into a vinyl record album.
Your remains made into a vinyl record album, that sounds interesting.
Andvinyly can allow you to "live on from beyond the groove."
You got a 8.84% upvote from @ocdb courtesy of @erikah! :)
@ocdb is a non-profit bidbot for whitelisted Steemians, current max bid is 20 SBD and the equivalent amount in STEEM.
Check our website https://thegoodwhales.io/ for the whitelist, queue and delegation info. Join our Discord channel for more information.
If you like what @ocd does, consider voting for ocd-witness through SteemConnect or on the Steemit Witnesses page. :)
Thank you.
I agree that graveyards are a part of showing history, but the modern ones not so much. And now, we have Facebook for example as a big graveyard holding history. I forgot which year it is, but not so far in the future, more accounts there will be of dead people than of living... Just saying.
I do want to get composted. One thing I read about is a mushroom suit to get buried in that helps to decompose the body quickly.
On a living note - the new garden corner is up and you received 2 SBI :)
https://steemit.com/gardencorner/@sustainablelivin/sustainablelivin-1558724175935-garden-corner-8
Thank you very much my dear friend, I really appreciate it! 🤗
I'm going to post my entry next week, it's going to be about the real garden this time 😀
Looking forward to it!