Death is Green at the Body Farm

Funerals are expensive and not at all green sometimes. Think of the wood for the caskets, fossil fuel to dig and refill the graves, machinery, chemicals, and other worthy investments that the relatives are guilted into implementing. Funerals that are thrifty are frowned upon by the industry.

There are other options: cremation, donations to medical schools, and burial at sea. People have their own philosophical and religious reasons for funeral predilections. Rites and ceremony and fear of the state of their afterlife play into decisions. 

The ultimate burial or lack of burial is to let nature take its course. The Body Farm has an odd but useful function. Scientists can study bodies left in many conditions to help forensic scientists determine how long a person has been dead. Think of cases where the type insect or eggs on a body have helped solve murders or deaths.

While I love the idea of catching criminals who otherwise would get away with their deeds, I am not quite ready to be dumped in the woods. At the same time, why take up valuable space on the earth in a place that will be forever revered (not so for many, actually) and protected. Of course, vegetables could be planted over our graves and we could make good fertilizer for the plants...lol.

The Body Farm is a worthwhile venture and a noble cause for furthering science, just like body donations to medical schools.

Your turn
Does this idea appeal to you at all? For yourself? Or, are you like me, thinking it would be great for people to lie in a field or ditch to further science, but, "No, thank you. I will pass." Do you know anyone whose body you would like to donate? I do!