As a part of Focus
Frostburg, Dr. Jennifer Flinn of the Psychology Department at Frostburg State
University, presented a piece on sustainable burials. It was one of the more unique
topics being discussed on the day as many people do not like to talk about or
think about death. Dr. Flinn specializes in the area of developmental
psychology and she states that "the final stage in human development is
death" therefore it comes as no surprise that sustainable burials are an
area of interest to her.
She made the
presentation interesting by including pictures and stories which were of
personal significance to her and this helped in holding the audience's
attention. Flinn mentioned how less than 4 years after her mother’s passing,
she stumbled across the site greenburialcouncil.org, where she first gave
thought to the idea of a green burial.
Dr. Flinn discussed
different burial methods, beginning with the idea of cremation and how it is a
relatively new practice in the United States but that it is not completely
environmentally friendly. According to her presentation, it is estimated that
one could drive to the moon and back an astonishing 84 times with the amount of
non-renewable fossil fuels used in cremations in the US each year. The
spreading of ashes is also restricted in places such as state parks because
they are not environmentally green.
She then explained the
idea of a natural burial where all natural materials are used. This idea began
in the U.K. and is increasing in popularity in the U.S. The main people
responsible for making the idea of a natural burial a possibility in the U.S.
are Joe and Juliette Sehee. Traditional funerals are said to range from $6,000-$20,000
and usually include a maintenance fee for upkeep of graveyards whereas natural
burials are far less expensive and can cost $2,000 or less and have no extra
expenses such as maintenance fees which is appealing to certain people. Penn
Forrest Natural Burial Park is located in Pittsburgh and all money goes in to
the restoration of the forest. More information on this natural cemetery can be
found here
Dr. Flinn finished the
presentation by briefly discussing some alternative burial methods which are
relatively new and environmentally friendly. She mentioned biodegradable urns which contain seeds so when one disposes of the ashes in the
urn, a tree is planted. These can be viewed here. She also mentioned how eternal
reefs made from environmentally safe concrete and cremated remains are used to
create new marine habitats for fish and other sea creatures.
The presentation was
very informative and really complimented the Focus Frostburg event on sustainability and climate awareness due
to the unique nature of the presentation topic.
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