The Environmental Impact of Funerals

THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF FUNERALS ALL CEMETERIES IN THE UNITED STATES TAKE UP AN ESTIMATED 1 MILLION ACRES OF LAND BURIED WITHIN THEM OVER 800,000 GAL OF FORMALDEHYDE ANNUALLY. THAT'S ENOUGH TO FILL 1.2 OLYMPIC SWIMMING POOLS 100 115 MILLION TONS OF CASKET STEEL ENOUGH TO BUILD OVER 2000 EMPIRE STATE BUILDINGS THAT'S ALMOST ALL THE HIGH RISES IN TOKYO 2.3 BILLION ROM BURIAL VAULIS TONS OF CONCRETE WHICH CAN BUILD 36.8 THREE GORGES DAMS ....... Or PAVE A SIDEWALK TO THE MOON 28 TIMES CASKET WOOD EQUIVALENT TO 4 MILLION ACRES OF FOREST Pl7lp17/719 +1+1+ (MOSTLY TROPÍCAL AND PRECIOUS WOOD) IMAGINE NEW JERSEY COVERED ENTIRELY IN FORES ALL THAT WOOD COULD BUILD MILLION. 4.6 SINGLE -FAMILY HOMES THAT'S 1OVER rd OF ALL HOMES IN CANADA REMEMBER ALL THAT CONCRETE? IT'S ENOUGH TO BUILD A SWIMMING POOL FOR EACH HOUSE THINK CREMATION IS MORE D ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY ACCORDING TO THE UNITED NATIONS, 0.2% OF GLOBAL DIOXIN AND FURAN EMISSIONS ARE PRODUCED BY CREMATION. CREMATION EMITS INTO THE ATMOSPHERE: CARBON MONOXIDE, MERCURY, SULFUR DIOXIDE, NITROGEN OXIDES, PARTICULATE MATTER, HYDROGEN FLUORIDE CHF), HYDROGEN CHLORIDE (HCL), NMVOCS AS WELL AS OTHER HEAVY METALS AND PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS (POP). NORTH AMERICA USES ENOUGH FOSSIL FUEL FOR CREMATION TO DRIVE YOU HALFWAY TO THE SUN EVERY YEAR SO WHAT CAN YOU DO? USE AN INDIGENOUS ROCK • CONSIDER A GREEN BURIAL OR PLANT AS A GRAVE MARKER CHOOSE NON-TOXIC, ORGANIC EMBALMING FLUID. CHOOSE A BIODEGRADABLE CASKET OR LOCALLY SOURCED, ALL-WOOD CASKET. REQUEST DONATIONS TO A CARBON FUND PROUDLY SUPPORTING Qeepr com David Suzuki Foundation davidsuzuki.org cc OSE This work was created uder BY NC ND Creative Commons Licence. REFERENCES: http://www.sevenponds.com/after-death/environmental-impact-of-death http://www.blogtalkradio.com/hal- stevens/blog/2009/04/01/cremation-or-burial-carbon-emissions-and-the-environment http://www.canada.com/life/Green+burials+slow+catch/1478428/story.html http://naturalburial.org/greensprings-faq/ https://www.portlandoregon.gov/TRANSPORTATION/article/443054 http://www.sevenponds.com/after-death/environmental-impact-of-death http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/famil55a-eng.htm