'Green' Burials

 By Seojin David Lee

When someone passes away, the two most common options for dealing with the corpse are traditional casket burials and cremation. Two factors that caused many people to choose cremation for themselves over the traditional casket burial are its affordability and its minimal impact on the environment compared to traditional casket burials. This is due to casket burials being widely known as the less eco-friendly option. This may explain why the National Funeral Directors Association predicts that the cremation rate will increase to 78% compared to 16% for the traditional casket burial by 2040. However, cremation also has its environmental negatives. One of them is that cremation “[releases] hundreds of kilograms of carbon dioxide into the air per body” (1).

Then you may ask: “What is the most effective way of dealing with corpses?” In fact, another method has slowly started to increase in popularity among environmentalists: ‘Green’ burials. ‘Green’ burials are simply the act of disposing of a body using biodegradable containers, instead of using harmful concrete vaults like the traditional casket burial or releasing carbon dioxide during combustion like cremation. Considering these factors, it is fairly obvious that ‘Green’ burials are the best method in dealing with a corpse in an eco-friendly way, although it currently is not a popular choice due to its unfamiliarity. In fact, a survey revealed that most participants “planned on cremation, because they viewed it as the eco-friendliest option” (1). 

Despite the unfamiliarity of ‘Green’ burials, it has slowly been increasing in popularity. Organizations like the Green Burial Council have contributed to this growing trend. Founded in 2005, the organization “[establishes] green burial standards by certifying green burial sites” (1). Currently, the organization has “certified over 200 green burial sites” in North America (1). The effect of this organization is clearly reflected when The National Funeral Directors Association Of The United States reported that “14 percent of Americans over age 40 say they would choose green burial,” and “around 62 percent are open to exploring it” (1). 

Unfortunately, the lack of research surrounding ‘Green’ burials as it is still a relatively new method has to be acknowledged. Therefore, more research should be conducted to further identify the benefits and potential downsides of this method, in order to reduce harmful factors in other burial methods such as carbon dioxide emissions. Nevertheless, we must increase the awareness of ‘Green’ burials, and also consider how we can reduce the harm we inflict on the environment even when we are no longer breathing.

Source:

1: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/green-burial-environmentalism-cemetery-eco-friendly-death

Ice Melting in Greenland By. Sangwook Alex Ahn   One of the most alarming news I read in the newspaper is the “unprecedented” melting of ice sheets covering Greenland. In January, I read that the ice sheet covering Greenland is melting rapidly at its base and is injecting far more water and ice into the ocean than previously understood, which may have serious ramifications for global sea level rise.   Huge quantities of meltwater fell from the surface, and as the meltwater falls, its gravitational potential energy is converted to kinetic energy, which warms the water as it pools at the base of the ice sheet. In that process, the study found that the Greenland ice sheet produces more energy than the world's 10 largest hydroelectric dams combined. However, the heat generated by the falling water is not used to generate electricity. It is melting the ice.   Recently in July, I read an article that the amount of Greenland ice that melted in Greenland between July 15th and 17th alone was 6 billion tons of water per day. This is enough to cover the entire state of West Virginia with a foot of water. Each summer, scientists worry that they will see a repeat of the record melting that occurred in 2019 when 532 billion tons of ice flowed out into the sea. The global sea level rose permanently by 1.5mm as a result.   I am concerned as this is an actual example of a climate crisis. Nature is threatened when we do not take care of it. We have the responsibility to sustain and preserve the environment so that it will not be harmful to our lives.

The Greeners Project 

Written by Sangwook Ahn

Today, July 3, 2022, is the International Plastic Bag Free Day. In accordance with this special day, Ecosave members participated in “The Greeners Campaign” collaborating with Open Hands. The goal of the project is to improve the environment of the underprivileged village of Inarawan. Trash is easily seen everywhere and anywhere around the village and the stinking odor is hard to endure. The trash causes contamination to their water supply and eventually threatens their health and well-being. 

To solve this problem, Ecosave Club and our partner Open Hands organized a plogging event. Our members gathered at the Han River Highland, an area that is a popular spot for family picnics and numerous social events. As expected, there were trash left behind from the day before, and we collected them in biodegradable trash bags. In addition, we held a fundraiser after the plogging event. The funds will be used to educate the children of the Cherryl School regarding basic hygiene to hold plogging events at the Inarawn village and finally to provide meals for the children who are suffering from malnutrition.

We plan to continue with the Greeners Campaign by making educational videos to educate children about the problems caused by the trash and raise awareness to the villagers the importance of preserving the environment. 

Overall, our Ecosave members felt the event was successful, as we were able to promote our club to young children and families who were at the Han River Highlands and even to the former running presidential candidate who we surprisingly ran into. We look forward to the next plogging.