TREE OF LIFE?

     I saw this story on Facebook yesterday after I wrote yesterday's blog and thought, "I had to save this one!" When we lose our loved ones, typically, we have to buy a plot, a coffin, a tombstone, and then we have to pay for the funeral service. All-included the price can be pretty hefty, right? Well, what if I told you that you can put your loved one in a pod underground and they will turn into a tree. Wouldn't that be cool? It would almost be like the tree of life! 

       Coffins, tombstones, and normal funeral proceedings can be a thing of the past. This unconventional way of being buried just might be the future. This unique burial method originated in Italy and is called The Capsula Mundi Project was  created by designers Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel. They created an organic, biodegradable burial capsule that actually transforms the body of the deceased into a tree. As this occurs, the body would turn into nutrients for the tree that would allow it to grow.

     Basically, it works like this; first, the body is encapsulated in the fetal position and then buried, and either a tree seed or an actual tree is planted above the capsule. You could even pick the type of tree you want to become. It's almost like choosing your very own coffin for a normal funeral. I have to be honest, this procedure sounds cool as hell. You can almost give life in your afterlife. 

     The pods are mad from a starch plastic which does not prevent the natural decomposition of the capsule and allows the organic matter to transform into minerals that will provide the earth with nutrients and vegetative organisms. Eventually, these pods will transform cemeteries into forests. My only problem with this is that you'll be visiting your loved ones in a forest then, as opposed to an actual well-manicured cemetery. Also, how do you identify your loved ones without a head stone? Etch their name into the tree? Another thing I'm not too crazy about is putting the body in the fetal position. I know they wouldn't be able to feel it, but I ask myself, "Would I want to be in the fetal position for eternity or laying on my back?" Like I said, we wouldn't feel it anyway. I still think this is an interesting concept, however. 

     This procedure is still actually just a concept since Italian law prohibits this sort of burial, but if it does proceed, there would be an entire memorial park of trees rather than tombstones. You would be able to visit and care for the tree of your loved one. There are actual places in the U.S. and in England where this type of burial is legal. We'll just have to wait and see if this catches on in other places around the world. I'm most interested in seeing the first dog to piss on one of these trees. Would that be a sign of disrespect? 



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