The greenest burial is an unadorned body in a shallow grave. But bioethicist Philip Olson says most folks prefer a more dignified send-off. Environmentally, that's tough. Embalming fluids can leach into groundwater. And each cremation creates hundreds of pounds of CO_2. Olson suggests a simple flush down the drain via alkaline hydrolysis. Technicians heat and pressurize a cylinder containing the body and corrosive chemicals. Afew hours later, they flush the resulting organic liquid and place the bones in an urn. The 300 gallons of water aside, it could be a greener way to go.
展开▼
