Forest of Memories

Shannon Beahen, Ottawa Xpress

How we die says a lot about how we live

This issue is our first Art of Living special and for it we’ve chosen stories that look at some unique or artful ways some of us choose to live: It may be where we skateboard, where we meet others of the same ideology, or where we drink coffee and wait for genius inspiration to strike. And though the photograph on the cover seems contrary to the theme of the special, it’s not; the way we choose to say goodbye is often reflective of how we’ve chosen to live. (Matt Harrison)

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Electronically translated (AKA, very poorly translated) from French
By Sophie Massé, Urbania

Raoul Bretzel and Anna Citelli, two Italian designers, are proud to present Capsuled it Mundi. An organic coffin. A large egg of bioplastic which can accommodate the body in foetal position

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Le décès écologique expliqué aux vivants

Texte : Sophie Massé

Vous pourriez quitter votre vie terrestre réduit en compost, à bord d’un grand oeuf ou d’un sarcophage en papier recyclé. Et que diriez-vous de léguer votre ADN à une plante ?

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By Bridget Wayland, Harrowsmith Country Life Magazine

You recycle. You carpool. You go organic. If you re an ecoconscious person, you try to minimize your impact on the planet every chance you get. How ironic, then, if all the virtuous principles you lived by get overturned in the end-the very end.

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The Vancouver Sun

Want to be kind to Mother Nature in death as in life? Consider planning a green burial.

Bodies are interred unembalmed in a biodegradable casket or shroud and graves do not contain liners, to allow remains to break down naturally. Graves may be marked by the planting of wildflowers or shrubs. The Ontario-based Natural Burial Cooperative calls the concept an ecologically responsive alternative to traditional burial that reduces resource consumption and offers families a way to honour a loved one’s values after death.

Although there are no dedicated green burial lands yet in Canada, the Natural Burial Cooperative is working toward opening its first site in Ontario.

Eco-friendly burials eschew headstones, embalming and pricey caskets made from exotic imported wood

By Nancy J. White, Toronto Star

Imagine a gently sloping hill covered with fallen leaves, green ferns and bright wildflowers, the branches of sturdy oaks and maples arching overhead. Birds chirp in the trees. Squirrels and chipmunks scamper on the ground.

Now imagine yourself buried underneath.

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By Peter Nowak and Emily Mathieu. National Post.
Cremation? How boring. From being shot into space to being turned into jewellery, here are 10 creative ways to be launched into the next world

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By Rebecca James, Syracuse Post-Standard

Susan Thomas’ dog bounds across the field, leaping out of the underbrush that covers the southern Tompkins County hilltop, intent on the scent of some small creature. Meanwhile, Thomas and Ed Oyer talk about death. The artist and the retired professor both like the idea of finding stone benches for this land where the names of the dead can be inscribed.

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