[INFORMATIVE] Life After Death: Mushroom Caskets and Their Impact on the Environment

Life After Death: Mushroom Caskets and Their Impact on the Environment

By: Lisa Lai

Introduction
With the earliest origins found in ancient Mesopotamia, humans have used conventional coffins to mourn the dead. For years, we have produced harmful pollutants from traditional burials that have harmed our environment. However, a company is developing a new, eco-friendly alternative: mushroom caskets.

What are mushroom caskets and how are they made?
What are mushroom caskets, exactly? Also known as The Living Coffins, they are caskets made through an ingenious process that biodegrades in soil. The Living Coffins live up to their name as stated by In The Light Urns, “It represents that last link in The Circle of Life — where all organisms die, decompose, and return to the natural elemental world where other living organisms consume the chemical and nutrient remains of the decomposed body.” Made by the Dutch company Loop Biotech, these resting places are made of a white mushroom tomb and moss lying inside. Some funerals can plant a tree on top of the body, a festive and eco-friendly headstone.

The process involves blending part of the mushroom, mycelium, with hemp fibers. This mixture is packed into a mold and baked. Drying the coffin ensures the mycelium has stopped growing and gives it strength to carry a body.

Wooden caskets versus mushroom caskets
Should mushroom caskets replace our conventional ones? Why are conventional caskets more popular than mushroom caskets? Many factors should be considered when deciding on a type of casket.

The modern funeral industry is not as eco-friendly as mushroom coffins. Embalming is used to slow the rate of decay, yet the process uses many harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde. According to Milton Fields, “800,000 gallons of formaldehyde are placed in the ground each year due to conventional burials.” Not only can formaldehyde be toxic to humans, causing breathing difficulties and other health issues, but it can be toxic to our environment. Formaldehyde is a volatile organic compound (VOC) and contributes to smog, reducing air quality. It can also travel on rivers and flow into bodies of water, negatively affecting marine life and potentially those that drink from the bodies of water. Biodiversity is reduced when formaldehyde is present and disrupts ecosystems. Many health defects arise in wildlife from formaldehyde. Animals experience eye irritation, skin irritation, pulmonary edema (fluid buildup in the lungs), decreased respiratory rate, and decreased nerve response when exposed to formaldehyde. The toxic chemicals can also react with the atmosphere and indirectly affect climate change.

Materials used to make conventional coffins are costly to our environment as well. Useful resources such as wood, steel, copper, and bronze are used only once. Milton Fields adds that “In just one year, the amount of casket wood buried is equivalent to about 4 million acres of forest.”

However, conventional burials are popular for good reason. Many religions and customs aim to honor the deceased. As stated by Hindman, “Their timeless design and high-quality materials convey a sense of dignity and respect. Families appreciate the ability to personalize the casket, making it a unique tribute to their loved one.” The deceased deserve to be honored and thus, traditional caskets are far more popular than The Living Caskets.

Another factor to be considered is the cost. Mushroom coffins are not cheap but not outrageously overpriced. According to USA Today, “Prices range from 695 euros to 995 euros – that's about $745 to just over $1,000. Prices are still being worked out for U.S. customers and will likely be more expensive in America, Hendrikx said.” Wooden caskets are far more expensive than mushroom caskets. Funeral Advantage states that “A casket is a huge funeral expense. With an average cost of $2,000 to $5,000, it’s often the most expensive aspect of a funeral.”

Finally, mushroom caskets are lighter than wooden caskets. Transportation can be far easier using The Living Coffin. Futurism says, “Compared to a traditional wood casket, which can weigh from 150 to 250 pounds and cost many thousands, the mushroom coffin is light and airy at 66 pounds.” This small detail may be considered when comparing the two caskets.

Benefits to our environment
Is there a better way to be buried than sustainably? With global warming and a massive pollution issue, it is crucial for humans to be environmentally conscious of our planet. Mushroom caskets could be significant in protecting our planet if more people acknowledge the many ways the caskets are “green”.

For starters, mushroom coffins are made with recycled hemp fibers. The natural ingredients for the coffins also make them biodegradable. Conventional coffins release toxic chemicals into our environment that are not sustainable. Traditional coffins are lined with non-biodegradable materials that pollute the soil. Embalming is also not necessary for The Living Coffin, which therefore reduces the amount of pollutants in the soil. The Living Coffin takes 45 days for the coffins to decompose, while the conventional coffin takes a decade. When the coffins break down, the nutrients will return to the soil and be recycled into plants or other organisms. With more nutrients in the soil, biodiversity increases, therefore benefiting ecosystems dependent on producers and consumers.

Furthermore, a new burial crisis occurs as burials with wooden coffins take up a lot of space and take a century to decompose. The Guardian says that in Sydney, Australia, “The shortage of space ‘makes burials unaffordable … and impedes families and communities from burying loved ones in accordance with their religious customs’… Gould says a shortage of burial space is a problem across Australia, but Sydney’s situation is uniquely dire.” Not only is the burial space shortage expensive, but “a problem across Australia” that affects the way families can grieve their loved ones. Since the mushroom casket decomposes quickly, there can be more space for more burials, and organisms (especially autotrophs) can thrive on the space and nutrients provided by The Living Coffin. Autotrophs (plants) are vital to our environment, improving air quality, providing shelter for animals, and providing nutrients for ecosystems. If there is space for trees to grow, biodiversity can increase.

Conclusion
Life does not have to end with death. This alternative to traditional burials recycles nutrients and promotes biodiversity. Mushroom caskets can be a beautiful, eco-friendly way to conclude life while benefitting the lives of other organisms. Not only are they great for the environment, they are significantly cheaper and lighter than wooden caskets.


Works Cited
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At Need Marketing. “Is Burial Space Becoming Scarce in the U.S.? - Catholic Cemeteries Association of the Archdiocese of Hartford.” Catholic Cemeteries Association of the Archdiocese of Hartford, Mar. 2024, ccacem.org/2024/03/01/is-burial-space-becoming-scarce-in-the-u-s/#:~:text=The%20study%20determined%20that%20because. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.

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Gorman, Alyx. “Burial Ground Zero: The Crisis Facing Sydney’s Cemeteries.” The Guardian, The Guardian, 3 Apr. 2021, www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/apr/04/burial-ground-zero-the-crisis-facing-sydneys-cemeteries#:~:text=Photograph:%20Stephen%20Dwyer/Alamy. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.

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“How Is Hindman Prepared for Coronavirus?” Hindman Funeral Homes & Crematory, Inc., 17 June 2024, hindmanfuneralhomes.com/what-is-a-traditional-casket/#:~:text=Additionally%2C%20the%20solid%20construction%20of. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.

Keely, Marshall. “Inside Pa. Farm Selling Nation’s First Biodegradable Caskets from Mushrooms.” Fox 43, 7 Aug. 2024. Accessed 18 Aug. 2024.

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