Going Green To The Grave

By Elisabeth Salemme

One's desire to heal the planet needn't be stopped by death. In Australia a funeral company is offering the green crowd an eco-friendly coffin in which to exit. The boxes are made of wood fiber, 90% of which is derived from recycled materials; natural glue holds them together. In the U.S., woodland cemeteries are another way the funeral industry has gone green. Here are a few more paths to an environmentally correct afterlife.

Freeze-Dried Funeral In Sweden your body can be dipped in liquid nitrogen, become brittle, then turn to dust. Remains are placed in a shallow grave, where they would nourish the earth faster than they would with most other burials.

Sleep with the Fishes A U.S. company, Eternal Reefs, puts remains in a module that mimics a coral reef. The reef balls, which last 500 years, are then dropped into the ocean to create new marine habitats.

Bad Teeth, Bad Toxins By 2012 half the crematoriums in Britain will have filters that reduce emissions of mercury, which is used for dental fillings. The toxic metal can cause severe pollution when vaporized.

A Diamond Is Forever Cremation conserves land, so companies have developed ways to reuse remains. LifeGem captures carbon from ashes to create shiny synthetic diamonds that can cost up to $20,000.