Amelia Martyn-Hemphill wrote an article to inform her readers about
the new type of funeral that is less harmful to the environment and more creative
at the same time. According to the Casket and Funeral Association of America,
in the cemeteries of the USA bury approximately 100,000 tons of steel and 1,500,000
tons of concrete from the many coffins that were buried. In addition, the cremation
is also a major problem because it releases carbon emissions and mercury into
the atmosphere. Most of the workers that help in this process have higher
chance to have serious respiratory problems or even cancer. This green burial
movement is an opportunity for the people to have a more natural approach to
death because it involves biodegradable coffins that are made of untreated
wood, cardboard or wicker. The graves are also shallower so that the body may
be exposed to the layers of soil populated by decomposing organisms. This type
of burial received many positive feedbacks because the people agreed that it is
creative and at the same time, helpful to the environment. Herby Reynaud, for
example, thought that the eco-burial allows the people to create something on
their own and it is specific for their needs. The funeral also involves woven
caskets, soluble slat urns and seed-filled scattering tubes. Darren Crouch,
president of Passages International, a green funeral product service explained
that the customers do not wish to have a traditional funeral that is too
formal, stuffy and clinical; they prefer the ones that are more creative and
innovative. An organization called Eternity Reefs is working on a project where
the people can throw the ashes of the deceased into the ocean so that it can
promote the growth of coral and sea life. A new discovery by Jae Rhim Lee, a Harvard-educated
artist and environmental researcher, also helped in improving the environment
because she found a type of mushroom that has the ability to absorb toxins,
decompose bodies and return the natural compost to the soil.
Amelia Martyn-Hemphill
wrote an informative article about an alternative funeral that is more creative
and also very beneficial to the environment. She used specific vocabularies to
describe the details of the eco-funeral and the material of the coffins. She
also included several examples to defend her arguments such as the number of
coffins in the cemeteries across the country. In this case, this example
illustrates the importance for the people to realize how much damage that these
funerals are causing to the world. It also increases the importance of the
topic that she is introducing because the eco-burial is a solution to this
problem of pollution. She also wrote several feedbacks from the people who
experienced an eco-burial and this also strengthened her article because it
proves that it is a successful project supported by several people. Amelia also
consulted many specialists such as the researcher from Harvard, Jae Rhim Lee
and the president of Passages International, Darren Crouch. The author was also
able to relate the creative funeral with other organizations that are also
promoting the same concept of saving the world. An example would be Eternity
Reefs which is also an organization to reduce pollution. She was also able to
relate to the recent study of Jae Rhim Lee of the infinity mushroom that is
able to reduce the pollution and at the same time, return beneficial materials
back to the soil. However, some negative aspects of this article are that it
did not have a strong attention getter. She could have started with a fact that
is surprising for the readers or a short story that introduces her points. Another
negative aspect is that she added too much information that is not necessary in
this article, such as the Alkaline Hydrolysis which is a green burial that is
generating debates in several states. This information is distracting and can
confuse main focus of the article.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/the-greenest-things-to-do-with-your-body-after-you-die/282297/
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