Ethical Dying

by Kris Hughes

"The goal of life is living in agreement with nature" - Zeno 335-263 BC

Zeno, and his infamous quote failed to take into consideration the abusive and parasitic behaviour of future man, and his ability to destroy the environment and live in detriment to it, and that in death man could and is contributing to the demise of not only his own future; but that of the natural world around him.

Our intention is to live "good" lives, but what intention do we project with the disposal of our mortal remains? Modern societies are generally environmentally aware with the majority of individuals attempting to involve themselves in ecologically conscious projects such as recycling, how many have thought about recycling their bodies?

We live in a rather overcomplicated, imperialistic and material world where even the demise of the mortal body is big business, with multi million dollar corporations and institutions involved and actively squeezing every last penny available to them through the disposal methods generally utilised by the funeral industry.

The death industry actively contributes to environmental destruction and pollution, and all in the name of money! Our crematoriums utilise the wastage of tons of fuel, fuel that could support the most hungry and poverty stricken countries of the third world, and even those closer to home, in fact how many elderly people in your area can afford sufficient heating to sustain their own lives and its quality? Whilst Crematoriums burn enormous amounts of fuel for the destruction of something that nature has intended to simply melt back into the earth.

Crematoriums are potentially contributing to hazardous levels of mercury emissions into the earth’s atmosphere, mostly from the burning of bodies bearing amalgam dental fillings. It is estimated that by 2020 up to 35% of all atmospheric mercury will directly result from crematoria, this equates to an increase of up to 2.2 tonnes of additional harmful pollutants ascending to our atmosphere compared to the current levels of up to 1.34 tonnes. In 1990 strict regulations were introduced for crematoria regarding the environment, however this failed to encompass the issue of mercury, a matter which DEFRA are currently involved with. The decrease of dangerous levels of Dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo dioxins and furans) has been significant and crematoria only contribute a small amount of these chemicals into the atmosphere, but the dioxins are still being emitted therefore the problem continues to impact on our environment.

Consider also the excessive use of wood and wood products that are cremated daily along with the body, wood that generally stems from non sustainable forestry; the damage to the environment increases threefold, not only do crematoria contribute to the global warming of our planet and the emissions of dangerous pollutants, they indirectly contribute to the mass global deforestation that potentially threatens humanity in its entirety. Un-researched but potentially dangerous levels of Formaldehyde and Di-sodium Hydrogen from the embalming process also potentially pose a threat when released into the air, chemicals which have already proved to be effective carcinogens.

If our intention and the cause and effect ripple which stems from that intention unknowingly damages the environment we cannot be excused, our contribution to potential ecological catastrophe is significant, and we must bear in mind the future of our children and their children and the quality of their lives, the "I’ll be dead by then, why should I worry" attitude is a blatant display of the lack of personal responsibility and duty we have to protect the future of our mutual mother, Earth. In death our legacy can be so much more enriching than bestowing a financial blessing on our offspring of family, instead we can enrich the world around us.

It is complacency that altered our perception of the importance of our environment and its protection, as our world became further lost in the trappings of commercialism we have distanced ourselves from that entity which feeds us, waters us, nurtures us and provides us with air to breathe. Instead of living in harmony with the world around us we live antagonistically to it, defending ourselves from it and holding our corporeal forms in higher regard to it. As orthodox religion crumbles and groans beneath centuries of illusionary fabrication, emphasis of the soul left the human psyche and was further replaced by a ferocious and illogical obsession with the preservation of the human body. The reality of death and the subsequent decomposition process has become abhorrent to the human mind, and we find ourselves in a society compelled to protect the density of matter and reject the impeding deliberation that we will ultimately rot! And of course the entrepreneurs of the world cashed in on this apparent weakness of mankind, a weakness we have displayed since the beginning of civilisation.

The resurgence of personal spirituality and concern for the environment at large has prompted the movement commonly referred to as "Alternative or green funerals", a movement that is positively impacting the funeral and death industry.

Rather than attempting to preserve the body and inadvertently polluting the environment by embalming etc, and then contributing to the quarrying of minerals and other geologies for the production of tombstones, we can and are able to simply die and be dead in an ethical and bio-diversified manner. In manners that positively reduce the impact and ecological footprint of man upon the earth, and the methods are surprisingly simple.

Currently the growth of Woodland burial grounds far exceeds previous expectations of the green funeral movement. And now over 150 exist and the numbers are increasing, these help protect the land from the living, preventing development and act as refuge sites for British wildlife. They also utilise the use of biodegradable products, such as eco-pod coffins manufactured from papier-mâché, or recycled cardboard coffins, most woodland sites will refuse permission for the interment of wooden coffins. The body is buried significantly shallower than a conventional burial allowing a tree, which is planted atop the body, to feast on the nutrients supplied by decomposition.

Burial on private property is a viable option and the utilisation of these methods of disposing can eliminate the need for a funeral director, and in some cases are free. There is no legal requirement in England or Wales where the council’s environmental health officers need to be informed for private burial, and these types of burials do not need any form of advance permission.

The officers of local authorities do not have the power to order exhumations but they can prevent a deposit into land that they claim to be detrimental to the environment, this however would not stand in a court of law. All that is required in the UK is a burial authorisation where the slip must be signed and completed by the land owner and returned to the Registrar.

The Registration of Burials Act 1864 applies to private burials and there must be a legally recognised document pertaining to the location of the grave. No laws exist which state, that a body must be contained in a coffin or "Box", no requirement for a Christian Funeral with an officiate, and no requirement to use a funeral director.

Burial at sea is permitted in certain areas of British waters, a licence is needed from DEFRA, Department of Environment food and Rural Affairs, this licence is free. Most local authorities will discourage sea burials, the system is complicated and expensive and the risk of the body returning to land is significant. Currently there are three facilities in the UK that allow and accommodate these burials; these are the Needles Spoil Ground, Isle of Wight; Newhaven, and an area outside the mouth of the Tyne. Information can be obtained via DEFRA or your local fisheries inspector. However the regulations are strict. The coffin must be of solid softwood, and weighted with 200kg of iron, steel or concrete, that is clamped to the underside of the coffin via steel bars. The body must also be weighted and holes drilled in the coffin to allow sufficient flooding for sinking. The body must carry an identity tag in plastic, and a free from infection certificate must be produced. All in all only 20 such burials take place each year and can cost up to £4,000, and they are typically not environmentally friendly. The Coroner must also issue an Out of England certificate. The trickiest part of these burials is actually finding a boat! Not exactly what you would consider an environmentally friendly funeral!

As Pagans and Druid Priests we can be invaluable in assisting individuals who have decided to perform a personal funeral for their loved one, we can offer advice and comfort to them. Actively arranging or positively involving oneself in the funeral and disposal of a dead human body is not only psychologically comforting and healing, but offers opportunities to safeguard a part of this world, a part that will stay forever green because of our legacy. Our aim should be to minimise our ecological footprint and honour this planet we call home, the little we can achieve in life can be extended in death and assist the bio diversification of our planet.

As individuals within the modern Pagan movement surely we must be aware of the ecological damage the death industry not only contributes towards but also encourages as an illusion of immortality and comfort. Regardless of what we know or don’t know about the disposal of human remains, as Pagans we have a responsibility for this planet and its eco-system, and should be actively informing ourselves and others of the legacy we should leave. Through ignorance we will continue to contribute towards the environmental wound that the death industry encourages and presses upon the world. As those who are constantly faced with the reality and mystery of death, through ritual and attunement, and that of our own mortality, we are able to inform others to make far-reaching and ecologically ethical decisions regarding their own deaths. And of course our own. The aim of this article is not simply one of education but also of reaching out to those within the Pagan world to think of their deaths and how that death can bring a profundity of life into the world at large, and that death truly isn’t the end of life but merely the beginning of a vast chain reaction of life in all its paradoxical wonder.

If you have any questions or queries regarding ethical dying, the death industry please contact me at wales [at] druidnetwork [dot] org

Further useful information can be obtained from the Natural Death Centre, 20 Heber Road, London NW2 6AA. www.naturaldeath.org.uk.

Ecopods can be found at:
www.ecopod.co.uk

Cardboard coffins:
www.environ.org.uk
www.eco-coffin.co.uk

In this article it must be clear that any regulatory standards I have referred to apply only to England and Wales, and do not necessarily represent the views of local authorities and their by-laws.

Kris Hughes
September 2005