A Fungal Farewell – Serene’s Synopsis 54
Modern human life isn’t great for the environment considering the large carbon footprint people have from simply breathing, eating, and participating in normal life. However, dying isn’t great for the environment either.
Many choose to put their loved ones in coffins when they pass, but typical wood caskets come with a significant cost in more ways than one. Funeral Direct estimates that coffins require 30-40 trees, and the FTC quotes the price of an average casket at more than $2,000, with costs going as high as $10,000. Additionally, dead bodies are slathered in preservative chemicals such as formaldehyde, which have severe negative health effects and are potentially damaging to the environment.
Cremation isn’t a great option either: the cremation process requires a lot of fuel, about the equivalent of two car tanks’ of gas on average in the US, and releases more than 6.8 million tons of CO2 annually. However, CO2 isn’t the only pollutant released during cremation, as mercury can be emitted into the air from tooth fillings. Cremation isn’t cheap, either, as a basic cremation will typically cost between $800 and $4000.
Don’t worry, though, there’s an alternative that’s better for the environment and the bank account: mushroom caskets. A company named Loop Biotech grows mushrooms in a lab and collects the mushrooms’ roots, called mycelium, and combines it with upcycled hemp fibers. That is then grown in a mold, and in just one week, and entire casket is formed. These coffins can biodegrade in a month and a half, and the mycelium increases the soil’s biodiversity. Although prices aren’t finalized in the US, they typically cost $745-$1,000, which is significantly less than its competitors. Additionally, trees can be planted on a site, so the remains nourish the tree, providing a more sentimental legacy than a stone tombstone.
Mushroom caskets are better for the environment and often much less expensive than its alternatives. By choosing to be buried in a mycelium coffin, one adds to the world instead of taking away from it.
If I die young, bury me with flowers… in a mushroom casket!
Although I’d heard of mushroom caskets a while ago, for some reason it’s taken until now to write about it! It seems like the company I researched for this article is still kind of in its infancy, but I hope it commercializes to make it easier for consumers to adopt this practice instead of wood coffins and cremation.
I hope it becomes popular to be buried like this. I feel like mushroom caskets should be appealing, as it’s a much more peaceful final resting place than a fire or a wood box. People value their connection with nature, and I think this option really appeals to that view.
Anyway! I spoke to a man on zoom about GMO traceability today. Pretty cool stuff! Stay tuned to learn with me!
Saleen, Martin. “This Dutch Startup Company Makes Mushroom Coffins that Biodegrade in 45 Days.” USA Today (Online), May 25, 2023. ProQuest, https://proxy.sierracollege.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/this-dutch-startup-company-makes-mushroom-coffins/docview/2818870033/se-2.
https://cremationinstitute.com/cremation-costs/
How Many Trees Does It Take To Make A Casket?
How Many Trees Does It Take To Make A Casket?
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/funeral-costs-pricing-checklist