Source: Fortune
Written By: Emily Gillespie
Published: April 9, 2020
Featured: Green Burial, Impact of Conventional Burial, Conservation Burial
Each year in the United States, more than 300,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide are emitted by a surprising group of people: the dead. With more than half of Americans choosing to be cremated upon their death, the result is the carbon emissions equivalent to the energy used by 42,532 homes in a year. It is an upward trend, with the cremation rate projected to reach 78% in the next 20 years.
Traditional burials, studies show, are even worse for the planet. More than 4 million gallons of embalming fluids are released into the ground each year, and 20 million board feet of hardwood is used annually for caskets.
