When you die, you typically have two options: either your ashes are stored in a vase on a mantel or you become a feast for the worms in your coffin (harsh but true). Now, there’s a new option with planetary benefits: becoming a tree.
How does it work? Tree burial pods and “living urns” plant your ashes underground, while other services like Transcend bury your actual body. You can even bury your pet! Either way, the remains will eventually grow into a plant. Depending on which service you go with, you can spend $100 or hundreds. And yes, tree burials are legal in all 50 states.
If you’re looking for a meaningful and values-driven death, tree burials are an Earth-friendly alternative to carbon-positive options like caskets and cremation.
“Many people don’t know that as a result of traditional burials, 20 million feet of wood, 4.3 million gallons of embalming fluids, 1.6 million tons of reinforced concrete, 17,000 tons of copper and bronze, and 64,500 tons of steel are put into the ground each year,” says Matthew Kochmann, founder and CEO of Transcend. Not to mention they can cost upward of $15,000. Yikes. “Tree burial sequesters 5.8 times more carbon dioxide than a single cremation emits,” he adds, noting this has the potential to offset the harmful effects of climate change.
“Humans and animals are dense with nutrients that plants need to grow,” adds human decomposition expert Jennifer DeBruyn, PhD. “Transcend’s Tree Burial model allows for the recycling of nutrients into our ecosystem.”
The personal well-being benefits are real, too. Kochmann’s team found that the ability to personalize your death experience like this can significantly relieve fears of dying and encourage a more positive approach to living in the present. It can be fun to pick which tree you'd want to be, too! Personally, I’d want to become an oak tree, similar to the one in my parents' front yard that I used to sit under all the time growing up.
tl;dr: Give new life to your death by becoming a tree after you die. It gives your loved ones something beautiful to remember you by and can help heal the planet as well.
Chime in: Would you want to become a tree after you pass away? If not, why? Let us know at wellnesswire@healthline.com.
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