On 8th February I will be having the next Compassion Dialogue with green funeral director, Kate Spohrer.
I am preparing my questions and enquiries for the conversation, but would also really like to know in advance what you, the listener, would like to ask.
Let me know below.
Gratefully.
Hi William,
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to participate in the discussion.
1. I would like to ask why is cremation (traditional and green) forbidden in some major world religions? If cremation was good for us and the environment why would God prohibit such practice, given that God is omniscient, He obviously would have known in advance about global warming and current level of pollution we are at??
2. Could there be a chance that the deceased person actually feels the pain during the cremation process? I bet there’s no definite answer to this question as the only person who would know the answer is the deceased themselves.
I would like to know more about what actually is done to the body by funeral directors. This is perhaps an uncomfortable question and difficult to even broach the subject. I understand for example, packing may be required for orifices, and also in some instances, fluid drained from the body and replaced with chemicals . Some of these procedures are done for practical reasons, such as, to prolong the time before burial which can take weeks. I am presuming that with a green funeral, no chemicals are used, so how is this problem overcome?
Also, could these procedures and practices potentially interfere with the progression of the soul on its onward journey?
Thank you for opening this subject.
I look forward to the discussion.
I would like to know the minimum requirements,box, casket,basket etc and liner? to carry out a minimalist cremation,transport provided by friends,no service, music etc followed by a collective remembrance meet on home turf,are rules the same in Scotland as rest of UK
I’d be keen to understand how Kate sees the green funeral trend going in the UK and when she thinks alternative burial options like aquamation and human compositing might be available here.
Also I’ve been reading the comments and have so much to add to many of the questions people have enquired about ranging from etiquette over communicating the death of a loved one to end of life planning, what choices are available and the what control we actually have over our care before and after death. Death doulas like myself can help navigate these questions for families – as a society we just don’t have these conversations and they are so important. Thank you William for facilitating this discussion. And I am at anyone’s disposal should you like to discuss. eol.doula.sabrina@gmail.com ❤
The first human composting centre recently opened in Seattle.
The video ‘Let’s visit the human composting facility’ is fascinating, upbeat, heartwarming and well worth watching.
https://youtu.be/_LJSEZ_pl3Y
I felt the care, (combination of simple ceremony, deep spirituality, love of the environment,) combined with scientific knowledge creates a magical way to return to the Earth.
So my question – Is it likely that we could have a similar facilities in the U.K. in the next decade or so. I aspire to live long enough to be recomposed!
Hi William and all. I would like to ask what questions Kate most often receives from the family & friends of the deceased and how does she respond. Not so much necessarily about the practicality of green funerals vs. traditional funerals, but about the spiritual aspect of supporting the bereaved, who may have a variety of spiritual beliefs or none at all…Thank you.
Hi everyone,
I don’t have any questions about green funerals but this is a documentary about David McGowan, an Irish undertaker. It’s a great insight into the work and the compassion.
Best wishes,
Catriona
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2233387163628131&id=478773428863169&_rdr
Please explain how “ashes” are produced from the leftovers of cremation. What do they consist of?
Firstly, please contact ALL the family , even ex spouses and their children. Consult all the person’s family, immediately you know the person has died. Include everybody so that they can help decide what to do. If there are disagreements, wouldn’t it be a good idea to have an interfaith ordained person to help come to a mutual decision ?
There is a disturbing new trend for undertakers pushing Direct Cremation, where there is nobody allowed to see the deceased’s body at the funeral parlour and nobody allowed at the crematorium, and no spiritual service or ritual allowed there.(All sacrilege to me personally !) Also, it has been mooted that some undertakers in America have been known to swap the expensive coffin you have paid for, and the body put into a cardboard case once at the crematorium … and the good coffin kept and recycled …
All of this I have learned from my own sad experience these last 6 mths, when my ex husband of 40 years died. Ex spouses and their children also suffer bereavement, but are often forgotten and not contacted. And this hurts.
It is a tricky subject, and we tend not to talk about death or funerals, it’s so sensitive…. but I knew my husband better than anybody else, and what would be the most appropriate way to witness his passing to the next stage .
I recently read that somewhere in Northern Europe they have developed a “green” coffin from mushrooms. It aided in the body completely decomposing within a few years. I’m interested in hearing more about this, particularly when they might be available in the US and what the costs might be.
Thanks for this opportunity, William. About 20 years ago I trained as a Landscape Architect and my thesis was about green burials before they had become acceptable. I am still fascinated by this subject and my question to Kate is about tree pods as a burial method. I can see how these would be space saving and fulfilling many people’s wishes to nurture a tree over their remains. Can you tell me a little more about them for instance what are they made from and do they also offer the opportunity for introducing mycrorrhizal fungi to improve decomposition. How are the tree pods transported with dignity to the burial site (because of their strange shape) and is the tree planted later or at the same time? Although this is rather macabre, are human remains a good source of nutrition for trees?
Fascinating question. I’d also love to hear about that.
Hi
I’ve recently retired from many years in Palliative Care and patients and relatives would ask about Green funerals and how to go about getting information about them .could you clarify a Humanist service and a green funeral. I’m revising my will at the moment and would like to put in a green funera. Is there a general directory where we can access these services. Thank you very much
Received from Sarah of Norwich:
What is the trend toward increasingly ‘greener’ deaths, funerals, burials / (cremations which aren’t green at all, but sometimes necessary)?? Who decides the regulations? Are they the same all over the UK, or even just England?
Where can I get information about death dulas to accompany my mother (and me ) through the end of her life?? How would i even know who to trust at such a sensitive time?? My mum was doing well and suddenly is terminal. Do death dulas have any professional training??
Hi Sarah, I’m a trained / certified death doula and would be honoured to support you and your mother. I know it can feel like an incredibly overwhelming time. I offer a free consultation so you can get to know me and ask me any questions you have, which you can book here:
https://www.eoldoulasabrina.com/bookings-checkout/free-consultation/book
Alternatively, you can email me at eol.doula.sabrina@gmail.com with your phone number and I’ll give you a call.
I once attended a funeral where the deceased was buried in his own garden. How easy is this to arrange, as my husband and I would like either our ashes or bodies interred in our ancient woodland – when the time comes.
Thanks for the opportunity to ask questions of Kate. When my mother died suddenly, I wasn’t sure where to start and wondered if Kate could provide guidance on this. I’d read about DIY funerals whereby you can choose your own casket and create the type of event you want – but when I came to investigate further, I came up against so many obstacles that I ended up using the services of a local funeral director. The bog-standard service was both expensive and disappointing but there didn’t seem to be any other option for my budget. Anything outside of their usual package would have increased the price substantially. Fortunately, I think the government is currently addressing this issue. The cost of a funeral would certainly dent the finances of a low income family.
Prepaid green funeral plans. How much can the deceased control what happens to and how and where their body can be integrated and returned to the earth? How can the grieving loved ones feelings and grief be supported in this process? I would love your thoughts on this.
I do not know much except that I have heard of cardboard caskets, growing plants on the burial plot, and the necessity of being able to visit your deceased loved one along with catholic observance for a necessity of a burial preferably not ashes but it is allowed – private individual
How has constantly being reminded of death affected how you live your life?
How do you balance the wishes of the deceased for a particular sort of funeral, with the wishes of the bereaved? What has improved whilst you have been doing this role?
When do you feel your role ends? (- I am thinking about anniversaries of the death and the Eastern Orthodox rituals of remembering I think quarterly in the first year.)
Do you have any plans for, or dreams of, bringing death more into life or into the community? What might that look like and what do you hope might be the benefits?
During a green funeral, do you feel supported by the community of nature or does it sometimes become a co-celebrant?
Have there been any particular memorable funerals or details in funerals that have touched you?
In America there are places where bodies can undergo aquamation and human composting. Can she elaborate on these processes and if these are options that can become available in the UK? Also can you have her talk about the importance of advance directives/living wills. Do green burial options need to be prepaid for or arranged before death? If so, how can this be done and how can you broach the subject with loved ones?
As someone perhaps rather familiar with a range of funerals, cremations and burials, although not yet the aquamation. I’m aware of a 22% rise nationally in UK of ‘direct cremations’. Colleagues in the hospice trade are beginning to get feedback that it was not what a number of families expected and they are feeling bereft of a kind o funeral experience. So I suppose, I’m wondering whether a balance can be struck between affordable, kind to the earth and kind to humans. How might we better inform people in a culture that’s not very ‘death literature/conversant’?
When my mother died – I felt financially ripped off by the funeral director- a wicker basket from Amazon could have done a better job – any guidance. I work with low income clients- how best can they facilitate a more cheaper but still green funeral
How realistic is it for our crematoria to be converted so that they can conduct Bishop Tutu style aqua-cremations?
1.I have visited some Natural Burial sites and they are not so good. One was by a Motorway interchange, the other has a rather strange atmosphere near an old Naval Base. Can Kate access a list of sites that meet a high quality level of really happy natural spiritual settings ?
2. Regarding Pagan or Heathen celebrants for Green funerals, does Kate find such individuals are becoming more available and how would she locate them?
Thank you
Is it possible to have “green” funerals officiated by any type of minister, including Interfaith ministers, Christian ministers and Sikh granthis? And if so, does this kind of option only exist in very limited (geographical) areas?
A national map/directory of green funeral services would be useful – does one exist?
Thanks.
Hi William,
Firstly my sincere thanks for your interview last week – my first experience of one of your online interviews and it was riveting. During your opening I was reminded of something Leonard Cohen (a thirty-five year friend) once said to me: ‘Beware of charismatic holy men!’ I don’t mean you, rather the fact that you said something that reminded me of that conversation.
On the green funerals – a few questions come to mind: What the attraction is for Kate, in the sense of how she sees it as important for the relationship between the person who has died and the earth? An explanation of what precisely a green funeral means – it’s not just about the burial? Perhaps a little about the effect cremation has on the environment? Not sure about Britain but here in Ireland there’s a great shortage of green burial grounds. Cost as opposed to conventional funerals? Cardboard coffins – I’m fascinated – they look like the real thing! A general question, why are funerals so expensive?
Good things and thank you again,
John
Like John, I’m interested to know exactly what a green funeral is and the various options within this. I can see many people jumping on the bandwagon as they see a market opening up so it would be great to also have a Gold Standard checklist to make sure the funeral really is green and not green washed.