A New Leaf on Life

Max Larsen, Sports Editor

There’s a new, more environmentally-friendly way to be dead—the burial pod. These burial pods will convert your body into a tree after you die. Your ashes will be placed in soil and allow you to nourish a tree. While this is a great way to keep a family member close to you, the total expense of this process this could be up to $10,000 based on the company, according to Business Insider.

From a memorialistic perspective, these urns are one of the best options for people who never want to lose physical connection with family members. Being able to have a physical object to remind you of someone, such as a tree, is one of the greatest ways to remember someone and keep them as a prominent part of your everyday life. According to Living Urn, tens of thousands of families have already purchased urns for their deceased loved ones. Not only are these urns just one of the many ways to remember someone, but a living urn is also one of the most effective. The Living Urn company has said that these trees are easy to replant before they outgrow the urn. If you are making a sudden move or moving the tree in general, these urn trees will be simple to replant, keeping your memory alive for years to come.

Unlike most burial methods, the urn pod is simple and effective. Anybody can arrange for an urn to be infused with the cremated remains of a loved one, and the process doesn’t take long. The process of taking the remains and starting tree growth can take as little as two weeks, according to Living Urn.

Although the urn is mostly thought to be limited to growing trees from remains of people, the Living Urn company has expanded their ways of remembrance. The urns can be grown to house plants. This way, they are easily accessible and not too much of a hassle to take care of. The living urn company has also expanded to allow these urns hold pet remains, therefore memorializing lost animals.

Trees and or plants are the most common urns. The company has thought outside the pod and made their urns environmentally helpful. Element Urns are made to help the environment a little at a time. The Eco Scattering Urn, Eco Water Urn, and Eco Burial Urns are specifically made to not just become trees, but also to improve our ecosystem while doing so. All three of these urn types are small and portable. The Scattering Urn is meant for travel and is made out of wood that keeps the plant safe. After the plant has started to reach its max size, the wooden pod can be reused for many different activities. The Water Urn is meant to be placed in water, where it will float upright. This option is designed to save and reuse water, since the plant will grow using the water. The Burial Urns have a wooden container that will decay and become soil for the plants and herbs around it. All three of the Eco Urns are biodegradable, and make the ecosystem healthier, one urn at a time.