“These Funeral Directors Are Dissolving Bodies in Water to Help Save the Earth” — Vice News, 2020, 6:48 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9HMKF_sFV8

Americans are largely fearful and avoidant of death and dying. This is partly a consequence of the professionalization of death care which removes and sanitizes death from everyday life. Embalming makes a corpse look life-like, but it is also terrible for the planet. Traditional cremations also require an unsustainable amount of resources while releasing pollution into the atmosphere. So, what can you do to not further damage the earth upon your death? “Water cremation” (being dissolved in a liquid with a high pH) is an eco-friendlier option and the technology is currently being further refined. The biggest challenge to this new technology, though, appears to be social acceptance. How might the American alienation from death coincide with damage to the environment? What can be done to shift our death culture into a more sustainable direction?

From the video’s description: Within the last few years, some funeral directors have invested in more eco-friendly alternatives to traditional burials and flame cremations. One of these methods is a process known as Alkaline Hydrolysis, or water cremation.