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Be a Tree - A Response to the Bios Urn

5/21/2014

6 Comments

 
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I love trees.  I love they way they dance in the sky and the color of the leaves.  I love the budding of their flowers in the spring and the colors they turn in the fall. I love how the snow covers them like frosting in the winter.  I love trees and understand why so many of us want to be a tree, or provide nutrients for a tree in death.  I would love to be an oak tree or a maple tree.  I don’t know which one I prefer.  Right now in the Midwest, we struggle with having places to be buried that allows one to become a tree in death.  Seems like such a simple thing to do, but it is not so.  We struggle with the conventional industry, which has enshrined embalming as the only way civilized people want to care for the dead.  We face conventional cemeteries that require us to be buried in a vault and promise us that our bodies will not mingle with the earth.  I can’t tell you how many people have come to us telling us how they want to be buried simply beneath a tree.  

Cremation is not a green process.  One average cremation uses as much energy as a 600-mile trip in a car.  That is a lot of fossil fuel. Cremation is not regulated, and so not all crematories have scrubbers on their stacks, so a variety of toxins can be and are released through cremation.  If you want to stay green in death, think twice about cremation.



Most of us have all seen the Bios Urn.  About once a month, one of my Facebook friends tag me with a photo of this urn.  It makes me crazy.  Bios Urns market themselves very well, and people think that becoming a tree is only possible with their product.  Bios Urns talk about creating parks for these urns on their website, but to date, there are no such parks. As you can see, the Bios Urn uses cremains, but only the top of the urn provides the nutrition of the growth of the seed.  The roots are then to intertwine with the cremains.  This urn costs about $155 to get here from Europe. (I priced it from their site.) Cremains are inert.  They in no way can provide nutrients for a tree or any living plant.  All nutrients are destroyed in the cremation process.   If you want to plant a tree with using cremains, you need to have peat and good soil on the top part of the grave to provide the nutrients for the tree or seedling.   Anyone can make a tree grow from cremains if they follow these simple rules.  


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Northwoods Tree Memorial Kit
At the time of death, people may not have the peace of mind to collect everything needed to create a tree memorial for someone they love, and a kit would be an easy thing to have on hand.  If you are seeking a kit, there is another choice, a memorial tree kit from Northwoods Casket.   They provide everything you need for a memorial tree planting ceremony.   For about $15 including shipping you can have what you need to become a tree.  You have everything you need to become a tree, or plant one in memory of someone.  

In certain green burial grounds, or if you have established your own family burial ground, you can plant a tree on someone’s grave and in that way become a tree yourself.  I suggest planting a tree as a memorial to someone you love.  I plant my garden that way, as I stated in another post.  I plant trees and shrubs that remind me of people long past.  Trees can act that way as well.  Our goal is to one day have green cemeteries throughout the Midwest, and then we can all become trees if we want to.  
6 Comments
Rose
6/17/2016 07:28:45 am

This article is complete BULLSHIT.
You are just trying to sell your own product it seems? I personally used a Bios Urn and had a wonderful experience. The tree I planted three years ago is nearly 2 and a half feet tall! After doing research, I found out that the cremated remains contain potassium and phosphorous. Both of which can be beneficial to the tree down the line, and held with diseases. Why does it drive you crazy? It´s great that this company has brought attention to this alternative method, and have been successful in doing so.

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Caroline link
6/22/2016 10:04:29 am

I'm sorry this article upset you. I do not sell any products nor do I take money from any corporation. I do my research, and I advocate that others do theirs We all make choices for the end of life. I hope we can all make educated choices.

It makes me crazy because people can do the same thing on their own and not pay lots of money. Anyone can mix cremains and mulch with a good solid tree to memorialize their loved one. They do not need to pay money to someone else to achieve the same result.

Reply
Kelsie
6/22/2016 01:50:13 pm

Hi, I have been reading into the Bio Urn, wondering if it will work or if I will actually get a tree out of it. Is there more you can tell me about the memorial tree kit from north woods? I went to the link you shares and read it, but I didn't see anything about what to do with the cremains? Please get back with me. Thank you for your time.
Kelsie

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Janie Dockus
1/4/2017 12:36:26 pm

I would like to know more about the tree seed/start. Is there a place you can obtain tree "seeds"? Would an actual start work better?

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Timothy Rodriguez
1/18/2017 03:19:01 am

Today, with the introduction of the new bio urn plantation system it has become common among the people to have a desire to be a green tree after death. Growing a memorial tree with the cremation of the loved ones remains is often considered a tough task. Here in this article, it has been very nicely elaborated that what is takes to be a green memorial tree after death. Reading this article has been a great time as it has let me acquire a lot of knowledge.

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BonsaiTreeGardener link
7/23/2017 08:29:30 am

When choosing a bonsai, the ensuing factors must to be held into consideration before making your eventual selection. Whilst selecting a bonsai tree you will perceive that there is a vast variety obtainable. Bonsai have many styles including formal, cascade, and more.

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    Caroline Vuyadinov


    I graduated from St. Vladamir's Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York with a Master of Divinity.  I trained as a chaplain following graduation and worked with a wide variety of people. 

    When I moved to Canada, I began work in a women's halfway house in Hamilton, Ontario which worked with women in conflict with the law on a federal level.  I became the program manager and  loved working alongside the women, creating their plans for their reintegration back to the community.  I also worked as a liaison with the parole board, parole officers and other community service providers.

    Upon my return to the United States, I worked in the Death Care Industry as a Family Service Counselor, which lead me to become a green burial advocate. I co-founded Midwest Green Burial Society with Juliann Salinas. I speak  to community groups and have developed practical seminars for a variety of audiences.  I have been interviewed on a national podcast and was featured on a WGN spot dealing with green burial. 

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