Are you considering cremation as a way to help the environment? Why cremation is better than burial? If that’s the case, keep reading to learn more about the benefits of cremation.
Why Is Cremation Better Than Burial?
By 2020, 56 percent of persons will be cremated, according to the National Funeral Directors Association. This is an increase of 8% over the previous year. Why is cremation becoming more popular than traditional burial?
One of the most essential reasons why cremation might be the best decision for you or a loved one is that it is better for the environment.
Here are some of advantages why cremation is better than burial.
1. Avoid Embalming Fluids
The goal of embalming is to preserve the body so that family members can see it. Instead of a traditional funeral ritual and cemetery, you can avoid embalming chemicals by choosing cremation.
Many harmful compounds, such as formaldehyde, are used in the embalming process. Formaldehyde contaminates both land and water when it leaks into the environment. Formaldehyde has a long-term effect on plants and animals.
2. More Time Savings
When you’re dealing with the emotional aftermath of a loved one’s (perhaps sudden) death, this is tremendously difficult.
Cremations are always faster than traditional funerals. You can save a lot of time and effort if you declare your preference for cremation before you die. A casket is not necessary.
Cremation eliminates both the requirement for embalming and the use of a coffin. Caskets are made of natural elements like metal, wood, and stone. By not using a coffin, you are preserving resources, consuming less energy, and saving money.
3. Conserve Land
Did you know that there are graveyard shortages in numerous parts of the world? Because the planet has a finite amount of land, we will eventually run out of it.
Another significant benefit of cremation is that it does not require the utilization of more space.
Some people choose to be buried, while others want to scatter their ashes. The best thing is that ash dispersal has no negative effects on the ecosystem.
4. Environmentalism
Cremation has increased in popularity in tandem with the environmental movement and a growing understanding of the need to maintain and respect nature.
With over 827,000 gallons of embalming fluid and 1.6 million tons of concrete buried each year, traditional burial techniques are typically considered as harmful to the environment.
Americans are also becoming more interested in becoming a part of nature. As people’s appreciation for the outdoors grows, so does the number of people who want their ashes to be a part of nature and the natural cycle of life. Outside, burying or scattering ashes is a very quiet and serene experience. For example, ashes are blended with soil and wildflower seeds when someone chooses a memorial tree with Better Place Forests. This procedure allows the ashes to become bioavailable to the tree, allowing them to have a direct impact on the tree’s health.
While most traditional burial alternatives focused on keeping the body separate from the land and preserving it, more people nowadays desire their ashes or remains to return to nature and safeguard the environment.
5. Acceptance Of Religion
Many religions have always supported cremation, while others have been slower to adjust their minds. Support for cremation has grown over time in Christianity, for example. The Catholic church has recently begun to publicly embrace cremation as long as the body is present at the funeral. If this isn’t a possibility for your family, the church will usually provide an exemption and enable you to consider cremation.
People who profess Reform Judaism, which encourages burial in the ground, are increasingly opting for cremation. Cremains account for roughly 10-15% of Jewish burials, according to certain funeral directors.
Many modern religions allow for cremation as part of the faith’s foundation. As a result, more people are considering cremation as a viable choice.
6. Cemeteries’ Changing Role in Family Life
Another reason people opt for cremation is that their feelings about a family burial site are changing. Many families in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries spent generations in the same towns and cities. Because cemetery ground was cheap, families frequently purchased large family plots, allowing generations of the same family to be interred together. Later generations could pay their respects at their ancestors’ final resting place.
7. Simplicity
A service for cremation is much simpler than a service for burial. When people decide to bury a loved one, they usually have a traditional funeral service as well. In this situation, you’ll need to work with the cemetery, find pallbearers, set up a visitation, and do a lot more. While some people prefer to have a traditional funeral followed by a cremation, a celebration of life or memorial service is more commonly associated with and compatible with cremation. In the days following the loss, while your family is still grieving and processing the news, these ceremonies require less organization.
8. Flexibility
Cremation opens up more possibilities for what you can do with your loved one’s ashes. You can spread the ashes in a special place, put them in a beautiful urn, keep a little percentage in remembrance jewelry, or blow them as fireworks, among other options. Ask one of our experts for further suggestions on what you can do with your loved one’s ashes.
Final Thoughts
Many people consider cremation to be a “greener” alternative to burial. To embalm the remains for a funeral service, harsh chemicals are frequently used. This raises fears that the chemicals will pollute the environment. Burial also takes up land area, and burying a casket disturbs the Earth. While a crematory does emit emissions, new technology is continually being developed to lessen pollution and the impact on the environment.
Because cremation sites are generally less expensive than traditional plots, you may be able to afford the service you want for your family members. Finally, cremation can be a lovely way to say goodbye to you and your loved ones.
