UNDERPINNING RESEARCH
The State of Play and Why We Exist
This group was founded with the intention to fill gaps in the education surrounding death care and industry issues. Taking into consideration works by practitioners in this field it has been understood that within the west especially there is still a taboo surrounding death, and this taboo seems to be worsening. Through writings and studies it has been said that a lack of education surrounding death and our inability to talk about it is having a direct impact on both mental and physical health (O’gorman).
Whilst we hope to address that our current attitudes towards death are unsustainable, this project also looks at sustainability issues within the funeral care setting. Current and past body disposal methods have the potential to be extremely harmful to the environment and with climate change a pressing issue there is room to improve upon sustainability within these areas both on a small scale and large scale. Elizabeth Keijer ‘The environmental impact of activities after life: life cycle assessment of funerals’ is an overview of the total impact on the environment by both burial and cremation and aims to not suggest one or the other but to address what could be changed within them to lessen their environmental impact. Though this text is limited to the Netherlands it addresses a gap in scientific literature surrounding these issues and has great significance when addressing sensitive data. This paper highlights one of the biggest impact categories as being the lining of the coffin, and if small changes to these were made; such as substituting the lining for materials such as Jute, this could significantly lower the impact of this category.
The need to change comes as we are becoming more environmentally aware, climate change is a big issue and as we address the damage humanity have caused to the planet, we rarely think of environmental impact of death itself. Getting people to think about their options within death care can open healthy conversations that address mortality whilst addressing the need for further reform within the funeral industry. In the last twenty years there has been a larger push for natural burials and whilst this is a step in the right direction, natural burial does not currently address the toxins already existing in our bodies and does not address the growing concerns surrounding space for burial, especially within the UK.
BIOREMEDIATION
Natural Processes and Mycelium
As practitioners globally start to address climate change the body of research into sustainable alternatives to burial and cremation is growing.
Natural organic reduction is a method unique to Recompose, a Seattle based business that is turning human bodies into compost. The idea confronts climate change whilst also addressing the question of mortality. Recompose take the bodies and place them into ‘cradle’ surrounded by woodchips, straw and alfafa. Covering the body using only biodegradable materials it is then placed into a ‘vessel’ for thirty days where microbes break down everything, leaving a nutrient rich soil. This soil, like ashes, can be taken by the family but is also being used to help replant forestry creating real life after death.
The use of mycelium within alternative burial practices is also something that has been highly researched within the last ten years. Jae Rhim Lee’s infinity suits address natural burial and the toxins within our bodies when we pass. The suits have been designed to speed up the decomposition process, using embedded mushroom spores in the lining of fully biodegradable materials that would be worn instead of being placed inside of a coffin. The substance left behind after this process is very similar to compost and is rich in nutrients and similar to natural organic reduction aids in the life cycle after death.
Bob Hendrix, from the University of Delft, has created a product called the Living Cocoon. This product is made by growing mycelium around a coffin-shaped frame and similar to the infinity suits this body disposal method speeds up decomposition in a way that is beneficial to the environment. These methods are not only environmentally sustainable options but their costs are also less than the average wooden or metal coffin commonly used in death care.
TEXTILES
Exploring alternatives to cotton
Jae Rhim Lee's infinity burial suit is at the centre of this research. Made from organic cotton and embedded with mushroom mycelium to aid natural decomposition http://coeio.com/. Research has also found that materials used to line caskets contribute to carbon pollution.
100% organic cotton has little carbon impact in decomposition. However, there are questions about its sustainability in production, particularly as current production struggles to meet global demand. Cotton can be a water-intensive crop; requires process, manufacture, and transport, all of which contribute to its carbon footprint.
Textiles such as linen and hemp have been considered as alternatives. The project also looks at plant-based alternatives, such as textiles grown from microbes or mycelium and those processed using systems such as Agraloop BioFibre by Circular Systems https://circularsystems.com/agraloop/. Thus creating a circular process of production from waste to decomposition to nature.
CROCHET & STITCHING
Telling the story - confronting mortality & connecting with loss.
The infinity burial suit has crocheted netting, embedded with mushroom spores, in a pattern that mimics mycelium growth. The project also focuses on the impact of grief on mental health, particularly when not dealt with due to Western taboos about openly talking or processing grief. Sewing is recognised as a mindful activity, often carried out in groups whilst stories of life are shared. The project explores storytelling using stitched textiles and explores how the crochet could be personalised, by shaping it into words.
We've designed a workshop entitled "Stitching Elegies" where participants will learn to crochet a foundation chain. We will then stitch them onto a sample of sustainable fabric, in the shape of a significant word or poem. As we work, we will discuss the idea of creating a personalised burial shroud using the technique. We will also consider whether the shroud could be made from the deceased's own clothes or those belonging to close friends and relatives. This serves as a further emotional connection after death. The workshop will provide a mindful space to confront mortality and the potential to connect with loss.
As part of the workshop, we will also consider the process of embedding mycelium into the crochet. Furthermore, how it grows and its potential for aiding natural decomposition.
SPATIAL & PLANNING IMPLICATIONS
Alternatives to graveyards to support sustainable burial and emotionally suppoted grief
There is a growing body of research that highlights the spatial and environmental challenges graveyards and cemeteries present urban centres. For example, due to rapid urban population growth, London's graveyards are expected to exceed capacity in the next 20 years. These growing spatial demands also mean mass burial sites are starting to cause problems for more rural communities.
In addition to spatial challenges, traditional burials harm the environment by introducing different materials and chemicals to soil. To contextualise the amount of foreign chemicals entering ecosystems, 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid are utilised in the US each year. Formaldehyde, a key ingredient in embalming fluid, has been labeled a carcinogen, potentially posing a risk to those who come into contact with it.
Communities and urban planners around the globe are waking up to these issues and are looking for solutions. Highlighting the prescience of the research and activity proposed within this project as a whole. In Berlin, most cemeteries are being converted into public parks, playgrounds, and even land for new housing. However, it should be noted that the decrease in graveyard usage is down to very dramatic uptake in cremation - an energy intensive process that poses another set of environmental challenges (the burning of dental fillings currently contributes to 15% of the UK’s mercury emissions.)
The workshop entitled "The Graveyards of Tomorrow" will be a tabletop exercise in which participants will be invited to design/model and discuss a sustainable urban graveyard. They will be asked to consider the research and methods discussed throughout the entire project and to ensure their designs promote “green burials”, utilising the bioremediation potential offered by biodegradable shrouds or caskets.