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Don't bury or cremate – soon you may compost your corpse

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81–90 of 105 posts

Re: Don't bury or cremate – soon you may compost your corpse

#81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even better if it's a fruit tree.

Lol I would not eat the fruit from a tree with a known dead body feeding it. Even if the science claims it’s okay it just seems weird.

The atoms in the food you eat, the air your breathe, and the water you drink have been part of trillions of dead bodies.

Re: Don't bury or cremate – soon you may compost your corpse

#82
post #60

Personally, I'm an organ donor and donating my body to science. I don't care what happens to it when I'm gone.

What do they do with it once "used"? I know, search it, but it's a morbid topic I'd rather read no more about than possible.

The family / next of kin gets the body back after it has been used, normally cremated.

Re: Don't bury or cremate – soon you may compost your corpse

#83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even better if it's a fruit tree.

Lol I would not eat the fruit from a tree with a known dead body feeding it. Even if the science claims it’s okay it just seems weird.

Parents: "Every Apple from that tree is a bite of Grandpa!"

Kids: "What??!!"

Re: Don't bury or cremate – soon you may compost your corpse

#84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lol I would not eat the fruit from a tree with a known dead body feeding it. Even if the science claims it’s okay it just seems weird.

Getting a little soylent greeny I agree

"Granny Smith"

Re: Don't bury or cremate – soon you may compost your corpse

#86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Even better if it's a fruit tree.

Lol I would not eat the fruit from a tree with a known dead body feeding it. Even if the science claims it’s okay it just seems weird.

The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.

~ Carl Sagan

Re: Don't bury or cremate – soon you may compost your corpse

#88
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it's particularly disrespectful, isn't all that's needed a change of perspective? What makes it disrespectful, precisely? The common method of embalming in North America seems more disrespectful - pumping a body full of chemicals that weren't there in the first place and helping to pollute the earth.

@spinach: “I don't think it's particularly disrespectful, isn't all that's needed a change of perspective? What makes it disrespectful, precisely?” Your processor's all fucked up, your information tray is jammed. Personally, I'd feel a little queasy eating strawberries from my own garden fertilized with my dear ole gran. To reduce the cadaver into compost would totally disrespect such shared memories as were had with…

Remember, man, thou art dust, and to dust you shall return.

Re: Don't bury or cremate – soon you may compost your corpse

#89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What if your friend sees no value in their body after they're done with it and wants to be composted? Perhaps they found it the least impactful way to go. Wouldn't respecting their wishes seem more important?

@NeedMoreTea: “What if your friend sees no value in their body after they're done with it” .. Yea, why not just dip the corpse in silicone epoxy, mount it on a plinth and put it on display. Oh wait, someone else has already thought of that. https://bodyworlds.com/city/london/ “The first Matrix I designed was .. [a] monumental failure .. Thus, I redesigned it based on your history to more accurately reflect the varyin…

That got a laugh.

Once I'm dead, I'm done with it. I have no remnant of silly medieval ideas like the saintly sanctity of a corpse or any need of special religious consideration or ceremony. The most fitting use to my mind is, as ChrisRR suggests, returning to the natural cycle of the earth adding as little pollution as possible. Composting, repurposed as dog food, feed worms, fish or even birds via sky burial, I don't much care.

Epoxy filled as a display piece is rather high impact for my taste, I'd prefer to feed the soil with a forest burial thanks. If the "artist" were to offer my descendents a large enough royalty for my use as inside out epoxied exhibit, along with appropriate carbon offset I would gladly reconsider... :)

Re: Don't bury or cremate – soon you may compost your corpse

#90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thankfully there's a good choice of natural and forest burials in the UK now. Surprisingly it can be the cheaper option. Actual composting is but a small step from there... Burial at sea used to be another natural option. A body sewed into sail canvas, weighted with rocks (or cannon balls), which continued beyond WW2. Now it's a whole damn full size coffin, and regulations for the minimum amount of weight bolted to i…

The body being sewn into canvas for the burial at sea was related to the people having canvas hammocks. You were buried in your hammock after they sewed it up - the last stitch went through your nose.

Aye, but they stuck with canvas long after ships switched to bunks not hammocks, and on the ocean liners etc.

Happily there are better ways to be sure of death than the last stitch of Nelson's day. :)

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