The Los Angeles Times reports on alkaline hydrolysis, the latest in green cremation. Woo-hee. It's a process that sees the body dissolve via a liquid chemical process rather than a fire-y cremation. And it produces no carbon emissions. Florida is the only state in the country that allows so-called bio-cremation, but lawmakers in California want to pass a bill to allow funeral homes to purchase bio-cremation machines. Via the LA Times: "It's green. It's clean. It's environmentally friendly and it reduces the carbon footprint," said California state Assemblyman Jeff Miller (R-Corona), who wrote legislation to make the so-called bio-cremation method legal." The Los Angeles Times also quotes James Olson, a spokesman for the national Funeral Directors Association, as stating that "boomers have helped launch "'a green movement in the funeral industry that is gaining momentum" as some cemeteries have started offering burials with biodegradable caskets or no casket at all, he said. In bio-cremation, a pressurized system helps decompose a body naturally in about three hours." Naturally, we're suspect of anything labeled green, but decide for yourself. And it's process is that it is in fact no more expensive than regular cremation. Here's a video of how it works. [Pictured: A hypothetical green machine. The device that does the work.]
· Funeral homes seek to legalize 'bio-cremation' as a green alternative [LAT]
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