OUR MISSION AND PURPOSE
We invite everyone to a conversation about death, its environmental and emotional impact, and the taboos that exist, which support current unsustainable practices.
As part of the Being Human Festival on 20th November 2021, we’re planning a series of activities, to promote and support this conversation. There will also be an opportunity to explore a case study of a sustainable alternative.
Through information, education and thought provocation, we aim to challenge current attitudes and behaviors at the end of life. So that the public might join to bring about changes in urban policy of unsustainable burial or cremation, and memorial practices in the UK.
A current sustainability zeitgeist, advancing green technologies and increasing understanding of bioremediation techniques mean a new ‘circular’ and more sustainable Western death paradigm is possible. This website will serve as the beginning or “green shoots” of a manifesto, designed for lobbying policymakers, that could influence a paradigm shift.
To help develop the manifesto, a range of transdisciplinary activities and research projects will encourage people to confront their own mortality, consider its impact on the climate crisis and engage with new sustainable burial solutions that are slowly coming to market.
Death is a potent presence in all of our lives, yet many people find it hard to have open discussions about it. This can leave us with unresolved grief and poor mental health. The project proposes ways in which people can connect with their own burial and the loss of others, providing avenues for dealing with feelings around mortality and grief.
The project acknowledges that end of life practices are influenced by religious beliefs and faith. We have considered extension activities to explore how sustainable burial could play out within different religious practices. However, the initial scope of the study is limited to practical elements of policy regarding sustainable burial and the mental health impacts of grief.
We believe that this project, with its focus on openness and discussion, will start breaking down taboos. This will promote dialogue with different audiences and encourage the development of new practices.
Please read this website’s content with an open mind, inquisitive brain, and willingness to think beyond traditional disciplines.
Don’t hesitate to contact the team should you have any questions or wish to join us on this journey.