The funeral industry is changing and getting better for sustainability, yet independent designers introduce new and interesting practices like tree pod burial. In the United States, burials consume huge resources every year, from preserving fluids to hardwood.
Traditional practices contribute to environmental degradation, strongly encouraging the need for change. Startups like Capsula Mundi and The Living Urn offer organic burial pod solutions. Treepod burials are a promising example, allowing a tree to grow from human remains.
This is related to fighting authority or causing huge important changes in cemeteries into living forests, beautiful and eco-friendly memorials for loved ones
What exactly are Tree Pod Burials?
In the year 2016, Italian designers Francesco D’Angelo and Adriano Del Ferro introduced a new and exciting concept—the treepod burial, now named Capsula Mundi.
Their idea revolves around a natural and eco-friendly burial approach. Human remains, gently wrapped in a natural fiber cloth, find their resting place within an egg-shaped pod. This pod, designed to be eco-friendly, is carefully placed in the ground, with a tree planted directly above it.
As time passes, the body within the pod naturally breaks down, releasing very important things that act as food and helpful bacteria into the soil. These, in turn, keep alive the tree above, effectively giving birth to a new life from the decomposition of the remains.
While this new and interesting idea is constantly changing and getting better, the designers have already introduced a smaller version of the pod. This version can securely hold the ashes of the departed. Much like its larger similar person or thing, once filled with the ashes, it is gently laid to rest, with a young tree planted above. Over several months or even years, the pod breaks down naturally into harmless things, allowing the ashes to combine with the earth.
Types of tree pod burial
1-Capsula Mundi
- Concept: Capsula Mundi is a new and interesting burial concept originating from Italy. It proposes an able-to-last approach to burial by using biodegradable burial pods in the shape of an egg.
- Material: The burial pod is handmade from organic, biodegradable materials like starch plastic or plant-based polymers.
- Process: The dead body is placed in the pod, which is then buried in the ground, serving as a kind and giving vessel for a tree or plant to be planted above it.
- Purpose: Capsula Mundi aims to promote reforestation, encourage the growth of new life from the remains, and Show the cycle of life and nature.
2-Bios Urn
- Design: Bios Urn is a biodegradable urn designed to help the growth of a tree using a dead person’s cremated ashes.
- Usage: The ashes are placed in the urn, which contains a tree seed. The urn acts as a growth medium for the seed.
- Planting Tree: Once the urn is planted, it makes it worse, and the ashes nourish the growing tree. The type of tree is chosen by the individual or their family.
- Significance: Bios Urn offers an eco-friendly way to Change burned-up remains into new life, allowing for a meaningful connection to nature.
3-Living Urn
- Idea: The Living Urn is a system that helps the growth of a tree from a person’s burned-up remains.
- Process: Cremated ashes are placed in a bio urn, which is then planted with a tree sapling. The ashes enrich the soil and support the tree’s growth.
- Variety: Families can choose from a variety of tree options to plant, creating a living memorial for their loved ones.
- Symbolism: The Living Urn symbolizes the continuation of life through the growth and taking good care of a tree, providing a lasting tribute to the departed.
4-Coeio
- Approach: Coeio offers an eco-friendly burial cover, “Infinity Burial Suit,” designed to help a natural and able to last rotting process.
- Material: The suit is made from organic cotton and contains mushroom spores that aid in breaking down the body and returning it to the earth.
- Decomposition: The mushroom spores help break down poisonous chemicals in the body and convert them into very important things that act as food for plants and soil.
- Goal: Coeio’s approach draws attention to returning the body to the earth without the use of harmful chemicals, encouraging a more natural and able-to-last burial method.
Can You Have a Tree Burial with Organic Burial Pods?
Right now, the bigger Capsula Mundi isn’t available for purchase, and there’s no confirmed date for when it will be. This is because the body Capsula still needs testing and approval from official organizations.
How does tree pod burial work?
The process sounds Simple, but as Capsula Mundi and other companies slowly uncover their offerings to the wider public, a deeper understanding will happen. For now, here’s how the fascinating process unfolds:
| Steps | Process Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Positioning the Departed: The body finds a resting place within the pod, cradled in a fetal position. No preserving or describing in detail burial preparations are involved, supporting nature’s gentle process. |
| 2 | Nature’s Embrace: The body is carefully wrapped in soft, natural fibers, making sure of a smooth merger with the earth, serving as a tender, protective covering. |
| 3 | Nurturing the Earth: The sealed, egg-shaped pod is tenderly placed within the welcoming soil of a natural burial site, Showing a return to nature and a peaceful communion with it. |
| 4 | The Natural Unfolding: As time passes, the pod gently breaks down, allowing the body to slowly integrate with the earth in a beautiful, natural decay process. |
| 5 | Life Beyond Life: The remains provide extremely important nutrients and helpful bacteria to the growing tree, helping its growth and well-being—an eternal conversation, an expression of life even as the body completes its journey. |
Where Are Tree Pod Burial Locations?
In a few places, especially in countries like the US and the UK, they’re making special spots for natural burials. Here, they put the body in a coffin that can break down naturally and bury it in the ground.
The main thing is not to burn or use chemicals on the body. Some places even let you plant biodegradable urns. But the rules change depending on the state or country, so it’s a good idea to check things out a bit before making a decision.
The same is true if you’re thinking about burying biodegradable urns on your own land. In some places, you can’t bury human remains on private property at all.
Why Choose a Tree Pod Burial?
Choosing a tree pod burial is an eco-friendly and helping-the-plan option compared to traditional burials. These special pods let your loved one become part of nature’s cycle, offering a beautiful way to honor their memory.
Ordinary Western funerals involve harsh chemicals like formaldehyde, affecting the environment. Many choose tree pods and other green burials to avoid releasing harmful substances into the surroundings. Selecting a tripod burial not only shows in a good way the ability to keep something around but also creates a lovely memory of your loved one.
At The Living Urn, we’re committed to helping you craft a meaningful and lasting memorial, a message of thanks that stands the test of time
Are tree pod burials legal?
Absolutely! If you desire, you can choose a tree pod for burial, a unique and eco-friendly choice for your final resting place. This natural or green burial approach is legally accepted in every state across the United States. However, it’s extremely important to stick to particular guidelines set by your state, such as the required burial depth. Take the time to familiarize yourself with your state’s specific requirements.
Moreover, you have the flexibility to choose the location for your burial. Permission allowing, your burial can take place on private or public lands. In addition to private properties, there are selected natural burial grounds, protecting something from harm cemeteries, and hybrid cemeteries where this environmentally conscious burial option is available. Explore these other choices to find the perfect fit for your wishes
How much do tree burial pods cost?
Tree pod burials offer both financial savings and environmental benefits compared to traditional funeral services. The cost of a traditional funeral can fly up to a high of $10,000 to $15,000 placing a big financial burden on families. In contrast, tree pod for burials provide a lower-priced option, with costs ranging from $100 to $3,000 currently shipping free. The final price depends on different factors, including the type of urn chosen and the expense of cremation services in your specific state. This cost differential makes tree pod burials an attractive other choice, enabling people to support a more money-saving and eco-conscious approach to their end-of-life arrangements
| Types of Tree Burial Pod | Estimated Cost Range |
|---|---|
| Capsula Mundi | $1000-$3000 |
| Bios Urn | $100-$300 |
| Living Urn | $100-$200 |
| Coeio Infinity Burial Suit | $1500-$2500 |
Tree pod Burial Pros & Cons
Tree pod burials bring a new, interesting approach, aiming to keep plants alive and lessen something bad the environmental impact connected with ordinary burials. While they present a positive move from treated boxes to hold dead bodies, there are even greener burial alternatives worth considering
Pros
- Support the use of untreated remains and burial vessels, controlling ground pollution effectively.
- Develop strong and healthy plant growth, improving air quality and supporting wildlife habitats.
- Offers a timeless natural burial marker, creating a lasting connection for future generations to nature.
- Provides a budget-friendly option compared to the traditional burial route.
Cons
- waiting for the availability of high-nutrient body pods, a promising advancement for the future.
- Traditional cremation processes add significantly to carbon emissions, warranting a greener solution.
- Especially, cremated remains can badly affect plant life, but the natural fiber pod aims to reduce this ecological concern
Where Can I Find Tree Caskets?
Right now, you can’t find tree caskets, but there are earth-friendly choices. We’ve talked about biodegradable urns before. Did you know? A Swedish company can transform a body into compost or a burial suit, aiding plant growth and toxin removal
These are just two exciting eco-friendly alternatives to a traditional casket funeral. New products are being created, tested, and sold daily to make your funeral unique. Currently, choosing bio urns is the only path to becoming a tree after passing away.
D’Angelo and Del Ferro mentioned that more about Capsula Mundi’s tree pod burial will be unveiled soon.
We’re not there yet, but we’re progressing toward turning our bodies into trees. Innovative companies, like Capsula Mundi, work daily toward eco-friendly funeral alternatives, reducing waste and resource consumption
Until these ideas become actual products, we still have choices. The closest option is the bio urns, but there are other options available in the market. These urns mimic burial tree pod but need cremation before placing ashes inside.
While some other products have environmental consequences, the world is moving forward. In a few years, you might become a tree after passing, your body transformed into a tree in a forest. Offset emissions through tree planting programs to lessen your environmental impact in daily life.
Simply contact a top carbon offset provider to get started. Burial tree pod offer you that opportunity after you’ve lived a long and productive life
Meet Haider, our expert Life Insurance Content Writer and Editor. With a passion for clarity, he simplify the complex world of life insurance, delivering informative, polished content tailored to our clients’ needs.