Dying Green

Alkaline hydrolysis is a green alternative to cremation. The process results in a fraction of the carbon emissions of a traditional cremation and involves liquefying the remains with potassium hydroxide and 300F heat. This greener alternative is currently legal in seven states.

Jeff Edwards, owner of the Edwards Funeral Services in Columbus, Ohio, used alkaline hydrolysis on nineteen bodies when, in March, Ohio’s health department essentially made hydrolysis illegal in the state. Edwards filed suit against the state and expects to win his case in February.

Alkaline hydrolysis is not the only green alternative when it comes to funerals though. Over the past few years, there has been an increase in green funerals and many expect this trend to continue. Environmentally friendly funerals can include biodegradable caskets, formaldehyde-free body preparation, solar-powered tombstones, “reef balls” (cement balls created with deceased individual’s ashes that are cast out to sea), and urns made of recycled paper.

For more information on green funerals, see Eric Spitznagel, The Greening of Death, Bloomberg Businessweek, Nov. 3, 2011.