Grave Matters: A Journey through the Modern Funeral Industry to A Natural Way to Burial



Grave Matters: A Journey through the Modern Funeral Industry to A Natural Way to Burial

Introduction

In this paper, we will discuss the concepts which were defined in the book by Mark Harris, Grave Matters: A Journey through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial.

In the book, the author has discussed a number of stories of different people who wanted an eco friendly burial at the time of their death. Some of them had wrote a will and told their families that they wanted to be buried in a natural funeral to be close to the nature. The author has also discussed on the benefits of natural funerals as compared to the modern funeral system which is very costly as well. This has become a proper business in today's era that is why the funerals have become costly and they are not environment friendly. However; in today's world, the people of United States are considering the advantages of natural burial system which is cheap and much better than the new ones.

Discussion

There are almost fifty seven million people who die each year all over the world, and for each of these people, according to custom, we have to make funeral practices which are often harmful for the environment. One might wonders how it is possible that a funeral is a threat to the environment. Therefore, following are some of the reasons given about why the contemporary funeral practices are not good for the environment.

The Embalming

The practice of embalming the dead, which is used to preserve the body from decomposition, is very harmful to the Earth. The fluid used is in fact composed of different chemicals, one of which is formaldehyde, a substance whose carcinogenicity has been borne out by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in 2004 and is included in the list of substances which are considered hazardous to human health.

This not only constitutes a threat to the embalmer and for producers of the chemical, but also for the surrounding area in which the body is buried, because the embalming fluid may in some way be dispersed in the soil, and then enters in contact with humans. It is important to remember that the practice of embalming, for human or animal is prohibited by various laws including the law of Holland (Harris, 2007).

The Coffins

The traditional coffins are often made at the request with fine wood and covered with expensive toxic paints. This besides, being a waste of resources, is also dangerous for the environment as such substances are dispersed easily in soil, just as the fluid used for embalming. In addition, the coffins are often made of non-biodegradable materials, this increases the time needed to decay, thus slowing down the process of renewal of resources.

Cemeteries

Though, not as harmful to the environment as the coffins or the practice of embalming, the maintenance of the cemetery ...