I <3 being GREEN
I’m a huge Disney Channel fan. Over the past year, I have grown quite fond the network’s “Friends for Change” campaign, a pro-social initiative that inspires young people to take action and save the environment. Their nifty theme song encourages kids all over the country to join Disney Channel stars like Miley Cyrus and the Jonas Brothers to pledge their commitment to the environment and help make a difference. Today I stumbled upon a new way for people keep helping the environment… after you die, that is.
In addition to leaving all your money and assets to environmentalist organizations, you may soon be able to opt for an eco-friendly cremation or burial! According to an article published in Chemical & Engineering News, a weekly magazine of the American Chemical Society, European researchers have developed two new methods of body disposal that are environmentally friendly alternatives to practices currently in use.
Apparently the process of cremation uses a lot of fuel, which releases greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This process releases the mercury found in dental fillings into the air too. Environmentalists are also concerned that the formaldehyde used to prepare bodies can have harmful environmental effects as well.
Here are the newly developed methods of body disposal:
- Low-heat cremation is a process that uses a highly corrosive alkaline substance rather than extreme heat to break down the body. This process is 80% cooler and more energy efficient than regular cremation.
- The newly developed burial method uses liquid nitrogen freeze dry the body, which is then broken into smaller pieces and placed into a biodegradable coffin. This method allows the body to turn into soil, rather than dust in a sealed casket.
According to the environmentally conscious entrepreneurs,
No matter how you look at it, there is just no pretty way to go…
For people who deeply care about turning off the lights and not flushing too often, these new processes can help them be eternally green. How will you choose to send it on?
Photo by: carbon nyc
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010, 7:52 pm | 
Celebrity, Environment | 
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