Wednesday, September 28, 2005

When I Die, Please Make Me Into Mulch

Sweden's new funeral rite - bodies freeze-dried, powdered and made into tree mulch

A town in Sweden plans to become the first place in the world where corpses will be disposed of by freeze-drying, as an environmentally friendly alternative to cremation or burial. Jonkoping, in southern Sweden, is to turn its crematorium into a so-called promatorium next year.

Swedes will then have the chance to bury their dead according to the pioneering method, which involves freezing the body, dipping it in liquid nitrogen and gently vibrating it to shatter it into powder. This is put into a small box made of potato or corn starch and placed in a shallow grave, where it will disintegrate within six to 12 months.

I'm serious. This sounds much better than a pine box. I'd like to be buried under a quaking aspen, the most widely distributed tree in North America.

Or maybe a weeping willow. I like anthropomorphic trees.

No comments: