4.7 Chapter Summary
Key Summary Points
- Current conventional methods of dealing with bodies after death are based on ancient practices.
- Certain conventional methods associated with dealing with bodies after death are costly, contribute to the lack of space for the dead, and are not environmentally sustainable.
- Alternative options for dealing with bodies provide an opportunity to move beyond our conventional understandings of burials and cremation.
- There are a variety of “greener” ways to deal with bodies at the end of life. Some are variations on ancient practices and some are recent innovations.
Additional Resources
Below are a list of supplementary resources for students interested in learning more about the chapter topics. These resources are NOT required course materials. A list of required course materials, beyond those found throughout this chapter, are provided on the following page.
Additional Viewings
Channel 10. (June 13, 2011). Grave recycling. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfvhUvSYIfg
NBC News. (November 19, 2020). Funerals in the COVID-19 area face immense and emotional hurdles | NBC News NOW. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QoEpDjT21c
Additional Readings
Canada. (n.d.). Funerals. http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/oca-bc.nsf/eng/ca03069.html
Hariyono, W. (September 14, 2015). Vertical cemetery. Procedia Engineering, 118, 201-214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2015.08.419
Mayer, A. (May 16, 2018). Back to the land. CBC. https://newsinteractives.cbc.ca/longform/death-burial-green-recycling
McGee, A. (May 7, 2021). Donating a body to science for medical research in Canada. Canadian Funerals. https://canadianfunerals.com/donating-a-body-to-science-for-medical-research-in-canada/#.Yj4snpopAkg
Ontario. (n.d.). Arrange a funeral, burial, cremation, alkaline hydrolysis or scattering. https://www.ontario.ca/page/arrange-funeral-burial-cremation-alkaline-hydrolysis-or-scattering
Philjacke. (October 28, 2018). Vertical cemetery: Graves in high rise towers. The Tower Info. https://thetowerinfo.com/vertical-cemetery-high-rise/
Understanding funeral costs in Ontario. (n.d.). Passages. https://www.passagescb.ca/understanding-funeral-costs