Funeral rites are designed to celebrate the life of a deceased person by honouring that individual’s memory and the person they were. So, from the ceremony to the deceased’s final resting place, it’s important that the person’s essence be respected, in his or her beliefs and convictions.

In today’s world, the environmental aspect is an important part of many people’s values. Many are concerned about their post-mortem ecological footprint.

Is cremation a good disposal option from an ecological point of view? That’s what we’ll be looking at in this article…

 

Disposal options

First, let’s take a look at the various methods of disposing of a body, i.e. the legal means of handling the corpse of a deceased person.

The two most common methods are:

• Burial, the act of placing a deceased person in the ground in a cemetery. Most often, a body is buried in a coffin, but the person’s ashes may also be buried in an urn.
• Cremation, the process of burning (incinerating) the body of a deceased person at a very high temperature

These 2 lesser-known methods are also available in Quebec:

• Aquamation, a technique called alkaline hydrolysis that uses water to rapidly dissolve the tissues, leaving only the bones, which will be reduced to dust to form the “ashes” as found during cremation
• Cryonics, which involves immersing the body in liquid nitrogen to preserve it. This technique is legal, but rarely used.

Finally, there are 2 other methods of disposal that are not yet legal in Quebec:

• Promession, or freeze-drying the body, i.e. removing all the water it contains. The remains are then reduced to powder.
• Humusation, or human composting, which involves covering the body with natural materials so that it decomposes in a specific area

 

Cremation and the environment

Of the 2 most common options, burial and cremation, the latter is the least harmful to the environment. The use of concrete in the construction of graves, for example, adds to the environmental impact of burial.

Cremation also generates fewer carbon emissions. Crématorium Montréal is one of the companies that takes care to comply with the Clean Air Regulation, as described by the Ministère de l’Environnement du Québec.

 

Ecological urns

A number of the urns available at our shop are sure to meet your environmental concerns.

Of course, there’s the biodegradable urn. Often made of cardboard, sand or wood, it is designed to disintegrate in the soil without harming the existing ecosystem.

Some biodegradable urns can even generate tree growth. This is a wonderful way to bring life from the ashes of a deceased person.

You can also prioritize urns made in Quebec. This will reduce the environmental impact of transporting them.

Contact us to learn more about the ecological urn options available at our shop.

 

Support from Crématorium Montréal

At Crématorium Montréal, we offer accessible funeral services so that everyone can reach their final resting place with dignity.

Whatever your funeral service needs, our team can help you plan your farewell in keeping with your values.