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An Environmental, Financial, and Cultural Examination of Death and Disposal in Modern America Grace Falvey Sacred Heart University College of Health Professions

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An Environmental, Financial, and Cultural Examination of Death and Disposal in Modern America Grace Falvey Sacred Heart University College of Health Professions Falvey: Six Feet Under: An Environmental, Financial, and Cultural Examina Six Feet Under: An Environmental, Financial, and Cultural Examination of Death and Disposal in Modern America Grace Falvey Sacred Heart University College of Health Professions Environmental Aspects of American Funeral Introduction and Thesis Cremation: Not the Best Answer Conclusion Industry It is a fact that every human being will one day die - that is An average of 55.3 million people die each year, 2.3 million of • cemeteries are not environmentally sustainable. They rely on • it is not a perfect alternative and poses its own unique something no one has control over. What they do have control those in the US alone (Banks, 2010). With a continually aging baby single-use land, significant resource consumption, and leech environmental issues. Many cremation services take place after over is how they would like their body to be disposed of. For many boomer population, those rates are predicted to increase over the toxic by-products into the land (Coutts et al., 2018). an embalmed viewing, so the body is still being filled with the Americans, embalmed burial or cremation is the only method coming years (Banks, 2010). There are several factors that come • Each year, Americans bury approximately 73,000 km of wood, dangerous embalming chemicals (Coutts et al., 2018). they will ever consider. However, a growing population of into play when it comes to the death care industry, such as 58,500 metric tons of steel, 1.5 million metric tons of concrete, • Instead of those chemicals seeping into the ground after burial, Americans are turning to alternative methods for both finances, environmental impact, cultural norms and personal and 16.3 million liters of embalming fluid (Coutts et al., 2018). the fumes are released into the air during the burning process environmental and financial reasons. The environmental benefits preferences. Eco-friendly alternatives to ‘traditional’ burial That is enough casket wood to build 4.5 million homes and • Each cremation uses the natural gas equivalent of a 500-mile car of the various options mentioned previously are undeniable, and methods are steadily on the rise (Coutts et al., 2018). These enough embalming fluid to fill eight Olympic-sized swimming trip in addition to giving off toxic gases (Doughty, 2017). will likely make more financial sense to many. In order for future methods provide cheaper options that take a significantly lighter • pools every year (Calderone, 2015). Lawn park cemeteries cremated ashes form a thick chalky layer in the ground and are generations to accept these greener methods, opening up the toll on the environment, and can even positively affect the planet. currently take up about 1 million acres of land (Calderone, sterilized through the burning process, meaning they have no conversation about death is essential. Death must be taught as a These methods also tend to be more personal and nurture 2015). nutrients present (Doughty, 2017). natural part of life from a young age. Although it can be America’s damaged relationship with death, another cultural issue • Typical maintenance requires plenty of water, chemical • While cremation helps solve the problem of limited burial frightening at first, allowing people to explore their relationship that separates the nation from the rest of the western world fertilizers and pesticides to keep the lawns looking pristine. space, it is not the end all be all to responsible disposal. with death will make it easier to feel comfortable prearranging. By (Hannig, 2017).The American funeral industry can help the These chemicals seep back into local water supplies and harm thinking critically about the various interment options and openly environment, reduce astronomical costs for families, and being to wildlife exploring this topic, Americans will be a better informed and mend America’s relationship with death by switching over to • Embalming fluid is made of a chemical mix of formaldehyde, better equipped population. It is obvious that the current funeral practicing alternative burial methods, specifically natural burial. phenol, methanol, and glycerin (Calderone, 2015). industry is broken. It does not meet the financial needs of most • The chemicals in the fluid are known by the CDC to be potential Americans and its wreaking havoc on a dying planet. It is time that human carcinogens, yet they are still used in almost every the United States open their eyes to this issue and make bold funeral home (Calderone, 2015). strides in getting back to a simpler, humbler death. • embalming is not required by federal law, and it is perfectly References legal to bury an unembalmed body (Corley, 2007). American Funeral Customs and Traditions – Funeral.com. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2019, • It is the funeral industry that has perpetuated the myth that from https://funeral.com/blog/american-funeral-customs-and-traditions/ Natural Burial’s Benefits Banks, D. A. (1998). The economics of death? A descriptive study of the impact of funeral and embalming is practiced to prevent the spread of disease, but cremation costs on U.S. households. Death Studies, 22(3), 269–285. this has been proven false by the Green Burial Council (Corley, https://doi.org/10.1080/074811898201597 • Bromwich, J. E. (2018, August 7). An Alternative to Burial and Cremation Gains Popularity. The 2007). According to the GBC, "there is no evidence suggesting Natural burial is defined as “burial of an unembalmed body in a biodegradable casket or shroud with no vault” (Coutts et al., New York Times. Retrieved from that embalming provides any public health benefits” (Corley, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/business/flameless-cremation.html 2018) Calderone, J. (2015). Burying dead bodies takes a surprising toll on the environment - Business 2007). Insider. Retrieved March 19, 2019, from • three main categories of natural burial cemeteries https://www.businessinsider.com/burying-dead-bodies-environment-funeral-conservation • Conservation burial grounds only allow naturally buried bodies -2015-10#eco-friendly-alternatives-do-exist-6 Corley, C. (2007) Burials and Cemeteries Go Green. Retrieved April 3, 2019, from NPR.org and their methodology focuses on commitment to ecological website: conservation (Coutts et al., 2018). They do this by using burials https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17232879 Coutts, C., Basmajian, C., Sehee, J., Kelty, S., & Williams, P. C. (2018). Natural burial as a land to restore landscapes, enhance plant and wildlife growth, and conservation tool in the US. Landscape and Urban Planning, 178, 130–143. preserve land (Coutts et al., 2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.05.022 Financial Aspects of American Funeral Industry Doughty, C. (n.d.). A burial practice that nourishes the planet. Retrieved from • The average funeral home handles a reported 113 calls per year • A conservation burial ground has a unique power - once bodies https://www.ted.com/talks/caitlin_doughty_a_burial_practice_that_nourishes_the_planet? are buried there, the land cannot be developed on (Doughty, language=en and employees 3 full-time and 4 part-time employees (NFDA, Eternal Reefs » Living legacies that memorialize our loved ones. (n.d.). Retrieved March 19, 2019) 2017) 2019, from Eternal Reefs website: https://www.eternalreefs.com/ Culture of Death in US & Legislation Erizanu, P. (2018). Organic burial pod turns your body into a tree. Retrieved April 3, 2019, from • The funeral industry is a multi-billion dollar industry, raking in • family and friends can come and plant their loved ones favorite CNN website: an average of $17 billion each year, and funeral costs increase • flowers and plants over their grave site and are comforted by https://www.cnn.com/2017/05/03/world/eco-solutions-capsula-mundi/index.html It was not until Lincoln’s assassination in 1865 that the public Hannig, A. (2017). There’s Something We Need to Talk About: Death and Dying in the USA. an average of 1.6% a year (Banks, 2010) took notice of embalming. His body was embalmed so it could the idea of their loved one helping nourish the greenery (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2019, from Undark website: be viewed on a funeral train back to his hometown in Illinois (Vatomsky, 2018). https://undark.org/article/death-dying-america-anthropologist/ • One of the biggest problems surrounding funeral costs is the Hauptmann, M., Stewart, P. A., Lubin, J. H., Beane Freeman, L. E., Hornung, R. W., Herrick, R. manipulative nature of the principle-agent relationship. (Walsh, 2017). • even a more expensive green burial would rarely cost over F., … Hayes, R. B. (2009). Mortality From Lymphohematopoietic Malignancies and • Embalming became a national sensation, making its way from $5,000 - half the price of the average traditional funeral! Brain Cancer Among Embalmers Exposed to Formaldehyde. JNCI Journal of the • The funeral industry’s economic model is based on the concepts National Cancer Institute, 101(24), 1696–1708. https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djp416 of protection, sanitation, and beautification of each corpse the highest-classes down until it is the commonplace practice • For every person that forgoes traditional embalming and casket National Funeral Directors Association. (2019) Statistics. Retrieved March 19, 2019, from known today (Walsh, 2017). http://www.nfda.org/news/statistics (Doughty, 2017). burial, resources are being saved. Prairie Creek Conservation Cemetery. (n.d.). Retrieved March 20, 2019, from Prairie Creek • It
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