Traditional funerals buried in Britain
Published 26 September, 2008, 06:05
Environmentally friendly funerals are making a small revolution in Britain with some saying recycling people disrespects the deceased, while others see it as a way to contribute to the nation’s wellbeing.
For example, Britain’s Hindu community prefers the Thames for scattering the ashes. Others opt for cremating their deceased, a certainly strong tradition in Britain.
About 70% of the UK population chooses cremation over a burial but even that might be changing soon.
Cremation was developed in Britain as an answer to cemeteries using up valuable land. It was believed to be cheap and environmentally friendly. But there are increasing concerns about the pollutants released into the atmosphere and as a result rising cremation costs. That is why the latest recycling craze is now affecting the world of the departed.
“The main way that you can affect the carbon footprint of your funeral is the coffin that you choose,” says Roslyn Cassidy, funeral director, Green Endings
Willow coffins are the in-thing now, being as very biodegradable and environmentally friendly. There are also bamboo and cardboard coffins with any print you like or even reusable coffins.
“This can only be used for cremation not burial, the cardboard coffin gets pulled out and that goes into the cremator and then we just fold it up and take it back with us. So that's efficient and green environmentally friendly way of being cremated,” assures Green Endings’ funeral director Roslyn Cassidy.
The recycling idea is even being applied to crematoriums. Some councils want to use the heat created by burning the dead to heat radiators or even generate electricity. Although the originators of the idea admit some might find the notion of being kept warm by the remains of their loved-ones macabre, such funeral would certainly be very environmentally friendly.
The recycling taken to the extreme suggests planting trees right into the place of burial which turns a graveyard into a wood. People who choose trees to rise from their resting places do believed that death is part of the circle of life as with time the bodies will be absolved by the roots of the trees planted above them.
Today the words ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust and earth to earth’ all of a sudden have a different meaning as more and more people believe they should put something back to the Earth that they have taken so much out of during their lives.
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