WHAT TO DO WITH WHAT REMAINS
BRING OUT YOUR DEAD
national home funeral alliance (site)
“The NHFA is dedicated to increasing access to information related to community-led after-death care.”
from here to eternity: traveling the world to find the good death (book)
“Fascinated by our pervasive fear of dead bodies, mortician Caitlin Doughty embarks on a global expedition to discover how other cultures care for the dead. From Zoroastrian sky burials to wish-granting Bolivian skulls, she investigates the world's funerary customs and expands our sense of what it means to treat the dead with dignity. Her account questions the rituals of the American funeral industry -- especially chemical embalming -- and suggests that the most effective traditions are those that allow mourners to personally attend to the body of the deceased. Exquisitely illustrated by artist Landis Blair, From Here to Eternity is an adventure into the morbid unknown, a fascinating tour through the unique ways people everywhere confront mortality.”
A DIFFERENT KIND OF GIFT-GIVING
The euphemisms run rampant when it comes to donating your body to science. There’s “whole body” (vs. organ) donation, “Willed Body Programs,” and, my favorite, “Anatomical Gift Programs,” among others. All my life my Dad talked about donating his body when he died. I am glad to report he got his wish and the result was not only everything he wanted, but one of the best after-life tasks my husband and I never had to handle. (And based on that experience, when our deaf dog died two months after Dad we donated HIS body to a local animal medical center.) In addition to advancing education, the other major bonus of body donation is eliminating the usual end-of-life costs. But! Non-buyers beware: the catch is that not all bodies will be accepted, so be sure to have a backup plan. If you want to read about what happens to some-body given in service of science, I highly recommend Mary Roach’s book Stiff.
Yours truly, Irreverent Rachel
how stuff works: pros and cons of donating your body (article)
“On the fence about whether or not to donate your body to science? Perhaps you'll develop some clarity if you look at the pros and cons. Pros: The biggest pro for donating your body is that you'll be helping advance science, medicine and potentially a host of other fields, such as car safety (more about that on the next page). Another advantage of donating your body is that it saves you a boatload of money. Finally, arranging to donate your body can be a lot less time-consuming than planning a funeral, picking out a casket and headstone, etc. Cons: For various medical reasons, not all bodies donated are able to be accepted. If you don't have a contingency plan in place and your body is rejected, your loved ones will be left scrambling to put together a funeral at a very stressful time. Even worse, if you hadn't planned for this possibility, they could be left with a sizeable, unexpected bill.”
stiff: the curious lives of human cadavers (book)
“Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. In this fascinating account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.”
SCATTER VS. SIX FEET UNDER
boston globe: "how the boston-based 'warby parker' of caskets aims to upend the funeral business" (article)
Caskets are a big business for funeral-home operators. Titan Caskets is selling them direct-to-consumer for less.
aging care: 5 essential differences between a burial and a cremation service (article)
“Many people have strong beliefs about how they want their body to be handled after they die, while others are undecided. Comparing cremation and burial is often difficult because final arrangements can be customized to fit different beliefs, budgets and preferences, but there are a handful of stark differences that may help consumers decide between these two options.”
cake: 12 fascinating facts about cremation and cremated remains (article)
“Since the beginning of civilization, societies have had to find ways to efficiently and respectfully dispose of dead bodies. As this post will cover, cremation has long been a popular choice, even if it seems to be a newer method. That’s an important point. For many, cremation appears to be an alternative in every sense of the word when compared to such methods as burial. It’s an option, but it’s not a default choice.”
As an urn aficionado — did I tell you the one about the woodworkers who descended on me at a memorial to complain about the crap wooden urn the funeral home put their friend in?! — I fully appreciate the breadth of the urn “review” below. If you’re anti-Amazon, be aware that the affiliate links “urn” the Cake site commissions, but the article is worth a browse just to get a sense of all the options. I myself love that selections include jewelry urns (which I got for my Uncle’s widow), and I appreciate the tip to purchase the industry standard which holds 200 cubic inches of materials. That said, I personally prefer the One World Memorial site’s explicit translation which is helping me and Mom pick out her last-stop-pot we will put on her grand piano when she’s gone: “Capacity: Up to 220 cubic inches. Ideal for a body weight of up to 220 lbs prior to cremation.”
Yours truly, Irreverent Rachel
cake: a guide to urns for ashes (article)
“An urn isn’t one of those things you buy every day, whether it’s for yourself or a loved one. For that reason, we’ve put together some advice about purchasing an urn that best fits your needs.”
memorial ash pendant (necklace)
“Stainless steel infinity pendant holds a small quantity of cremated ashes.”
fast company: this company turns your loved one’s ashes into beautiful pebbles (article)
“The old phrase ‘ashes to ashes, dust to dust’ may need a makeover.”
IT'S SO EASY BEING GREEN
new york times: thinking about having a green funeral? here’s what to know (article)
“A typical American funeral usually involves a few hallmarks we’ve come to expect: an expensive coffin, lots of flowers, an embalming for the deceased and a number of other add-ons. But how necessary are those embellishments? Enter the ‘green burial.’ The specifics of a green burial vary widely, but typically they require far fewer resources for the care of the body and skip a number of the traditional steps, making them better for the environment. Plus, they can save families on funeral costs.”
green burial council (site)
“This is the place to learn more about green burial and how to find certified cemetery stewards, funeral professionals, and funerary product sellers who share the commitment to create more sustainable after-death options for you, your community, and the planet.”