Oak coffins along with any other do not need to be buried in the ground. They can be placed in burial vaults or mausoleums and can be entombed in churches or other sites of worship. In the UK over 70% of us are opting for cremation which perhaps surprisingly is a subject for debate in environmental circles.
Environmental arguments
The argument against cremation in general is that it represents another unnecessary combustion of fossil fuels, no matter the material the coffin or casket is made from. In essence the average UK crematorium uses the same amount of electricity (derived from non-renewable fuels) as each UK citizen does in one month. In a world concerned with climate change the argument is as obvious as it is contentious.
In addition the average crematorium operates at between 750-1200 degrees, this is sufficient vaporise metals such as mercury. Cremation its opponents say is responsible for almost 20% of all the mercury (apparently from our fillings) pollution in the UK. Ironically, the only way to curtail emissions of mercury and other harmful substances is to increase the combustion temperature which of course means more emissions.
Materials
An oak tree takes some 60 years to mature and produce its first’s acorns, which are actually the fruit from the tree. Cleary, oak coffins would need to come from a sustainable source whether cremation or burial considered as a funeral choice. The same argument can of course be levelled at any substance and is one of the reasons why increasing numbers of people are opting to choose coffins or caskets made from recycled materials. It is important to acknowledge that almost 90% of all wooden coffins are made from compressed chipboard or other composite materials such as medium density fibre board (MDF).
The point here is that even if all the oak coffins in the UK came from a certified sustainable source, they are still (along with all the other types of wooden coffin) bonded with formaldehyde based chemicals which enter the atmosphere when combusted. It is important to point out that these chemicals also, over time, enter the soil and eventually water courses. So what is a deceased person with an environmental conscience to do?
Alternative options
The UK is of course an island nation, it would seem logical that burial at sea would be a sensible option, it appears that this is not the case. The UK has (at time of writing) only three licensed facilities for this purpose and less than 100 sea burials are sanctioned from them annually. In contrast, there are over 300 registered woodland burial amenities in the UK and these offer what appears to be a solid environmental alternative to both burial and cremations. In this circumstance the coffin is made from a fully biodegradable substance, such as recycled cardboard or wicker.
The burial site itself is marked by the planting of trees or wild flowers. In addition, the cost is not prohibitive and in many cases directly comparable with traditional options. The issue is space; there is simply not enough woodland for every UK citizen to consider this choice. This fact connects directly to the drive for cremation in the first place, space is of a premium and the needs of the living supersede those of the deceased, according to its proponents. Perhaps the most bizarre solution is to forgo the coffin completely, a small town in Sweden used liquid nitrogen to freeze dry the corpses of consenting adults into a compostable material which was then applied to arable land.
At present there is no absolute correct answer. The bottom line is that as human beings in life and death we have an environmental impact, the trick is to minimise it and support policies which work toward such minimisation.
Environmental arguments
The argument against cremation in general is that it represents another unnecessary combustion of fossil fuels, no matter the material the coffin or casket is made from. In essence the average UK crematorium uses the same amount of electricity (derived from non-renewable fuels) as each UK citizen does in one month. In a world concerned with climate change the argument is as obvious as it is contentious.
In addition the average crematorium operates at between 750-1200 degrees, this is sufficient vaporise metals such as mercury. Cremation its opponents say is responsible for almost 20% of all the mercury (apparently from our fillings) pollution in the UK. Ironically, the only way to curtail emissions of mercury and other harmful substances is to increase the combustion temperature which of course means more emissions.
Materials
An oak tree takes some 60 years to mature and produce its first’s acorns, which are actually the fruit from the tree. Cleary, oak coffins would need to come from a sustainable source whether cremation or burial considered as a funeral choice. The same argument can of course be levelled at any substance and is one of the reasons why increasing numbers of people are opting to choose coffins or caskets made from recycled materials. It is important to acknowledge that almost 90% of all wooden coffins are made from compressed chipboard or other composite materials such as medium density fibre board (MDF).
The point here is that even if all the oak coffins in the UK came from a certified sustainable source, they are still (along with all the other types of wooden coffin) bonded with formaldehyde based chemicals which enter the atmosphere when combusted. It is important to point out that these chemicals also, over time, enter the soil and eventually water courses. So what is a deceased person with an environmental conscience to do?
Alternative options
The UK is of course an island nation, it would seem logical that burial at sea would be a sensible option, it appears that this is not the case. The UK has (at time of writing) only three licensed facilities for this purpose and less than 100 sea burials are sanctioned from them annually. In contrast, there are over 300 registered woodland burial amenities in the UK and these offer what appears to be a solid environmental alternative to both burial and cremations. In this circumstance the coffin is made from a fully biodegradable substance, such as recycled cardboard or wicker.
The burial site itself is marked by the planting of trees or wild flowers. In addition, the cost is not prohibitive and in many cases directly comparable with traditional options. The issue is space; there is simply not enough woodland for every UK citizen to consider this choice. This fact connects directly to the drive for cremation in the first place, space is of a premium and the needs of the living supersede those of the deceased, according to its proponents. Perhaps the most bizarre solution is to forgo the coffin completely, a small town in Sweden used liquid nitrogen to freeze dry the corpses of consenting adults into a compostable material which was then applied to arable land.
At present there is no absolute correct answer. The bottom line is that as human beings in life and death we have an environmental impact, the trick is to minimise it and support policies which work toward such minimisation.