Not too long ago I received an email from a member of the support department at Bios Urn. Naturally, I was tickled that someone from Bios Urn had read one of my posts. It’s nice to know that someone in the conventional death care industry is paying attention. This person wondered why I was concerned with the Green Burial Council giving Bios Urn an endorsement. I suppose my last post on the topic might not have been clear. Let me clarify for those who might wonder the same thing.
In the first place I think the notion of providing folks with an easy solution to their concerns about what to do with cremains is admirable. The notion of becoming a tree resonates with many folks. I think many people desire to return to this earth in one form or another. Certainly the poetic notion of becoming a tree is a beautiful one. I also firmly believe that people have a right to produce a good product and make money doing so. Having said all this, I do have a few issues with the product.
In the first place, cremains are not capable of nurturing a plant. Cremains must be mixed with organic material if a family wishes to use the cremains in a garden or to plant a tree. Bios Urn does not address this truth. One need only look at the diagrams of the urns to see that the growth of the seed or plant begins in the organic material portion of the urn. The only way to become a tree is to be buried naturally and have a tree planted on your grave. Cremains are only encapsulated by the roots of the tree which take nutrients from the soil around them – not from cremains.
The Bios Incube, a new urn, uses smart technology including an app for customers to track the progress of the plant. In my book we have gone far beyond a green solution if we now must use a computer and sensors to grow a tree. I know this product was developed for city dwellers. I know it was developed to help. I am sure it has helped those who have used this product. Anyone has every right to choose this product, but it should not be considered a green product. Where have we gone that we would need so much technology to grow a seedling? It seems like so much effort given to something that should not be so complicated. It also seems an odd product created by a company, which markets with the byline: “Let’s convert cemeteries to forests. How is an apartment tree planting memorial forests? I do not know. Bios Urn seems to have shifted in its focus.
Anyone can make their own seedling-cremains kit themselves. You need organic material – compost, cremains, the plant you wish to use, and ground or proper container in which to plant. The problem is that when someone we love dies, sometimes we cannot think as clearly as we might otherwise. Finding an inexpensive solution, which comes as a kit might be a solution worth considering. Bios Urn is not the only urn maker, which markets to those who choose cremation and wish to be a tree or a part of the garden. Check out the Living Urn. Even if we become a tree, in the end they die like we do and go back to the earth. We cannot escape from the circle of life.
#biosurn, #beatree, #endoflife, #preplanningfuneral, #greenburial
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