16. Your Body Can Nourish a Tree
Death has long been tied to religious beliefs, and there can easily be an argument made that much of today’s religion is consumerism. However, many people are actively and passionately eschewing that lifestyle in favor of something more simplistic and natural. The creators of the Capsula Mundi certainly have as they believe that death is as much commercialized today as is life. The expenses of coffins, funerals, and everything else make the process of ending one’s life yet another aspect of a consumerist lifestyle.
They wanted to give people a different option, one that is as minimalist and natural as possible. Enter the Capsula Mundi, an egg-shaped coffin made of biodegradable plastic. The coffin is buried underneath a tree sapling. As it degrades underground, the nutrients from the deceased’s corpse nourish the seedling and take on new life in the form of the growing tree.
In addition to providing a means for minimalist people to be buried according to their own “religion,” the Capsula Mundi is much more environmentally friendly. Traditional coffins pollute the ground and are not helpful to the process of decomposition. The Capsula Mundi enables people to leave a smaller carbon footprint in death and even give back to the earth.
Where did we find this stuff? Here are our sources:
“Plague Pits.” Wikipedia. March 1, 2018.
“The Bone Collector,” by Yu Sen-lun. Taipei Times. November 21, 2004.
“When Death Doesn’t Mean Goodbye,” by Amanda Bennett. National Geographic. March 2016.
The Encyclopedia of Ghosts and Spirits by Rosemary Ellen Guiley 2007
“Egyptian Mummies.” Smithsonian Institute online collection.
“A teenager’s funeral featured an ‘extreme embalming’ – and it’s more common than you might think,” by Kaila Hale-Stern. Insider. July 10, 2018.
“Top 10 Things to Know About the Day of the Dead,” by Logan Ward. National Geographic.
“India wife dies on husband’s pyre.” BBC News. August 22, 2006.