facts on the safety of Green burial.
Lack of Public Health Risk: Most city and state health departments have not raised concerns about green burial practices as dead bodies generally do not pose a public or environmental health risk. This is supported by studies from the CDC, WHO, and other international health groups on mass graves and data from forensic institutes. These studies, compiled by the Green Burial Council, indicate that materials from decomposing bodies travel only a very short distance.
Best Practices in Green Burials: Green burial practices include covering the body with 36 inches of soil to create a barrier against scavengers, burying bodies above the seasonal high water table, avoiding burial in wetlands or sources of public drinking water, not embalming the body, using biodegradable containers, and following re-wilding principles. These practices help ensure that the burial is environmentally safe.
Soil Suitability and Decomposition: All healthy soils are suitable for green burial. The type of soil may affect the rate of decomposition but not the process itself, which involves natural bacteria from the body's gut biome and decomposers found in the soil. Green burial is practiced safely in various soil types. The sandy loam soil on Bhakti Mountain is ideal for this process.
The body returned to the earth.
In ideal soil conditions, the decomposition of a body in a green burial is intentionally faster than in traditional burials. This is attributed to several factors unique to natural burials:
Biodegradable Containers: These containers, like wooden caskets or shrouds, break down more easily than non-biodegradable materials, facilitating faster decomposition.
Absence of Embalming: Embalming, common in traditional burials, slows down decomposition. Green burials typically do not use embalming, allowing natural decomposition to occur.
Direct Soil Contact: Placing the body in direct contact with the soil enhances microbial activity, crucial for decomposition.
Environmental Factors: Soil type, moisture, temperature, and oxygen levels all play roles in decomposition rates. Green burial sites often promote conditions conducive to natural decomposition.
Microbial Activity: Soil microorganisms are key to breaking down organic matter, including human bodies.
However, the exact decomposition timeline varies based on factors like burial site, environmental conditions, burial container type, and other variables. Warmer, moister conditions, for instance, tend to accelerate decomposition.
Natural burial contributes positively to the health of ecosystems. The human body, predominantly composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, also contains life-sustaining nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, and calcium. These elements are crucial for new plant and animal life. In natural burial, as the body decomposes, these nutrients are released into the soil at a rate that plants can absorb, enhancing soil fertility and promoting plant growth. This process is akin to perfect composting, where the decomposing material provides an ideal mix of elements for plant growth. Thus, green burials can be seen as a way to return our bodies to the soil in a manner that supports and enriches the ecosystem.