If you accept the Old Testament as the inspired testimony of the ancient Jews, you probably know it says God formed humans out of the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7). Funerals often include the phrase “ashes to ashes and dust to dust” to remind us that we started this way and to dust we will return.
It isn’t fun parlor talk … frankly we want to avoid the subject even when we contemplate our own life. But it is a fact of life. And, throughout history, civilizations have sought to assure some future possibilities … often by mummifying bodies as a way to preserve them for the afterlife. But to be truthful and relevant, most faith traditions believe our bodies only serve as a temporary house for our spirit. They do not last forever.
And I guess it makes sense for entrepreneurs to view this as a business opportunity, especially since graveyards are filling up, reducing our choices for our “ultimate resting place.”
This is far from a new challenge, and many solutions have been implemented, most notably catacombs. And, when the water table prohibits that, you get above-ground burial chambers that you see in New Orleans.
Major cities, such as New York, have long faced the challenge of limited space. So, perhaps it is not surprising to see creativity there around burial beyond cremation, which seems to be the obvious choice to most of us … well, most of us who are OK with cremation.
After all, we all have enough space for a few more shoe boxes of remains, if we didn’t want to spread them at sea, on scatter in our gardens, or do as my father requested in his will: Put the remains in the tops of firecrackers and light them off to that song made famous when sung by Frank Sinatra, Fly Me to the Moon, … which my brother and I did along with our loved ones. It was fitting.
Our church created a dedicated area for those who seek a different kind of sacred space. Called a columbarium, it seems to work for many in our congregation. But, as with all of life these days, there are others who are looking for an environmentally sustainable answer to their minds and hearts. So, that brings us to composting. Read it for yourself here: From Dust to Dust – Literally
The cemetery plans to start with around 18 composting vessels from Berlin-based startup, Meine Erde—translation, My Earth. While similar human-compost companies are sprinkled around the U.S., Pablo Metz, the 45-year-old founder of Meine Erde, hopes to spread the practice to more Americans, starting in Brooklyn.
“We’re looking at the idea of dedicating certain areas that would be just for these remembrances,” said Meera Joshi, cemetery president and a former deputy mayor of New York City. “The idea of getting in on the ground floor, especially in a beautiful place like Green-Wood, is a little irresistible.”
Baby boomers, the West’s most affluent cohort, have been enthusiastic disrupters of cultural norms. As they reach old age, the burial business is poised for an influx of money and new ideas, including biodegradable coffins and holograms of the deceased to display as digital memorials.
While I applaud creativity, anyone with more than a third-grade math ability can point to the absurdity of this approach. It can take months and years to compost human remains, and the number of deaths each day (150-200) makes this absurd.
After all, with 150-200 deaths per day and at best a 40 day use of the composting machine, there would be a backlog of 6000 dead bodies waiting for those 18 bathtubs in the first cycle. You load 18 more and 40 days later you now have a backlog of 11,982. Why didn’t anyone in the comments point this out???
So, is this business idea going to fail? You decide for yourself after reading this summary:
How does MEINE ERDE solve the burial problem?
In the words of someone who has chosen the now-available third option; reerdigung (human composting): “This concept is just so coherent for me: I was born into this world after 40 weeks in my mother’s womb, and I am leaving it with 40 days in a beautiful cocoon, and the circle closes by me becoming part of Earth again.”
I am still ok with urns and shoe boxes. Oh, and by the way, where are you going to store all these dead bodies waiting for a proper burial?
WOW Joel
Very enlightening and a subject that is rarely talked about!
Yes Jeff … and that’s the point I guess
We need to talk about things like this
Ah we do begin to think about these things as our family members and friends approach the end. I recall this quote from the Bucket List, “The most important things in life are your relationships.” Some of us wait too long to realize this but if you watch The Ultimate Gift there is a novel way to make amends. I’ve been thinking more along the lines and not where my remains will go.
Joel:
So, you and I are about the same age. Love talking with you about boats, subs, flying planes and how clever we both are—-but this topic is one I will leave to others to figure out when we depart.