RE: [greenyes] Why bury at all ?? Re: [greenyes] green burial

["Anne Morse" <AMorse@no.address>]

Just to affirm Bette's post - my mother and father both chose this option,
my father 30 yrs ago with the U of Minnesota and my mother 4 yrs. ago with
Mayo Clinic. (By 1999 the University had plenty of donors, but Mayo was in
desperate need.)

In both instances it was a tremendous relief to us not to have to spend
those difficult days making the plethora of arrangements required by a
traditional burial.  Instead, our family was free to make our peace with
their passing, and to focus on each other.  

There were zero costs incurred on our part, and the medical personnel were
appreciative and respectful.  We received the ashes exactly one year later.
Mayo's annual memorial for the families also provides the med students with
an opportunity to meet and thank family members directly, and in so doing,
personalizes the process. 

I highly recommend this route; we couldn't have been happier.  And of
course, it fit nicely with my ZW perspective. 

Happy Holidays, all.

Anne 


 

-----Original Message-----
From: Bette Danse [mailto:bettdanse@no.address] 
Sent: Thursday, December 11, 2003 7:31 PM
To: EcoWaters@no.address; greenyes-digest-help@no.address; greenyes@no.address
Subject: [greenyes] Why bury at all ?? Re: [greenyes] green burial


My opinion is that we should donate our bodies, not just our organs. All
states have a state university program that does body donation, but they are
not allowed to advertise, and funeral homes don't want the competition, so
not many know about it.
 
Some states like Connecticut at the UCONN Health Center have FREE
programs...they pick up the body within 23 hours of death and transport it
at no charge.  Students study the body for a year to learn and investigate
finding new cures for diseases.  Then there is a memorial service in May for
all the families from that year.  The body is cremated at no charge, and the
ashes are returned in a handsome urn if the family wants them.
 
In Florida the body has to go to a funeral home for transport to the state
university, so the family has to pay for that, plus also pay for the
cremation.
 
I will never understand the custom of burying bodies.  Cremation is the way
to go, literally.
 
Bette  

EcoWaters@no.address wrote:
About burial, remember that the state's concern is public health: as with 
wastewater, the body must be buried high, high above groundwater. Pathogens
can 
travel long distances. Pre-composting and freeze-drying is for dense and wet

areas.

See one area where burial is au naturel: 
http://outside.away.com/outside/news/200209/200209green_reaper.html

Carol Steinfeld
www.carol-steinfeld.com




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