Lower Your Impact On Nature When You Die

What happens after you die? You become a tree, of course. Spanish designer Martín Azúa has designed an urn that not only biodegrades into the earth, but once buried will start the process of growing a tree.

He calls it the Bios Urn Project and aims to reintroduce the human to the natural circle of life. The urn itself is made of coconut shell, compacted peat and cellulose. Depending on where the urn will be planted, different seeds are available for the different climates around the globe. This is just one urn in the developing trend for an alternative burial process.

Other organizations offer similar ends. One I particularly enjoyed is from UrnGarden and offers the perfect ocean or deep water burial. Designed to momentarily float before sinking to the ocean floor, this urn will naturally break down over time, once again returning the ashes into the cycle of nature.

I always thought it was illegal to scatter or bury ashes anywhere you want, but it seems as if the laws are more liberal than I was aware of. For example, burying ashes in the sea is allowed, as long as you’re at least three nautical miles out into what is known as international waters. It’s also perfectly acceptable to bury an urn on private property, as long as the owner gives consent. Certain states may also require you to disclose the information if the property is ever sold.

Ideas like the bio urn are important for solving some of the current population problems. “As concerns about the environment and over population rise in this country and across the world, people are beginning to look at preserving the earth in every possible aspect of their lifestyle, including death,” explains Melody Jamali, president of Une Belle Vie Memorial Urns. “And, when you look at the financial and environmental cost of traditional burials, having a green funeral option makes good, sound sense.”

According to Une Belle, “The funeral industry buries 30 million board feet of wood a year, 90,000 tons of steel, 1,636,000 tons of reinforced concrete and more than 800,000 gallons of toxic embalming fluid into the ground.” It seems as though now is the time to consider alternatives like Azúa’s urn tree, especially if burial is something you don’t necessarily have a set belief in.

Azúa has many other romantic notions on his website, not to mention some very moving philosophies such as, “In nature nothing is free” and “A question can be a project, an achievement in itself.”

Most importantly, he helps answer the question of a very common dilemma: if you don’t think you are going to be able to leave a lasting impression on this earth, think again.

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Biodegradable Plastic

Italy Bans Plastic Bags


Image: Evgeni Dinev / FreeDigitalPhotos.net


Swadeep Reddy
Swadeep Reddy5 years ago

Good idea

KrassiAWAY B.
Krasimira B5 years ago

Great idea.

Joy Jin
Joy Jin5 years ago

i want to be buried in a way that doesn't harm the environment.

Tanya Williams
Tanya Williams5 years ago

I would like to be buried and a rose tree planted on top of my grave, but thanks for the story.

John S.
Past Member 5 years ago

Interesting idea, but I will have to think about it before committing to anything.

Jennifer D.
Jennifer Dunn5 years ago

I think this is a good idea personally.

Lika S.
Lika S5 years ago

I want to be buried as fertilizer to a strawberry patch. I'm hoping to feed people with good food.

Darcy H.
Darcy H5 years ago

This is another great idea. I think if I was not terrified of being burned, I would do it. As of now, there are certain cemeteries that allow you to be buried without having to be embalmed and that do not require a vault. I just hope we can continue to come up with better solutions for Mother Earth.

Judith Corrigan
Judith Corrigan5 years ago

This is a great idea, a lot of people I know would like to be buried under a tree.

Glen P.
Glen P5 years ago

I don't like the idea of cremation so much. I would like to be buried without a box, or with a minimalist container, and have a tree planted on top.

That would be great, to have your molecules reincorporated into a tree.