Improving our environmental footprint seems to increasingly be top of mind for governments, corporations and citizens alike. Sustainable options are abound, including in farming, energy, tech, clothing, shopping, and packaging. The list goes on, and how our bodies are disposed of after death can be added to it. No longer are burials or cremations the only available choices. As noted in one of our blogs here, another option is Aquamation, also known as alkaline hydrolysis, bio cremation, flameless cremation or water cremation.

Eirene offers Aquamation services in Ontario, Nova Scotia and Saskatchewan. As reviewed here, the disposition process involves :

-placement of a body in a stainless-steel vessel filled with water and alkali

– heating and agitating of the vessel’s contents 

– release of the liquid from the vessel as wastewater

– the bone that remains being ground into a powder and placed into an urn 

In short,  the process is the same, though accelerated, from what naturally occurs when one is laid in the ground. There are no direct emissions of harmful greenhouse gases or mercury, and no burning of fossil fuels.

Interestingly, Aquamation is not a new concept. It has apparently been around since the late 1880s, developed by a farmer to turn animal carcasses into fertilizer. It is now legal in many US states and some Canadian provinces for human use, and is legal country-wide in both the US and Canada for pet use. 

Aquamation seems to be similar to recomposition or human composting, where the body is transformed into a nutrient-rich soil, explored further here.

With more and more people interested in going green, including in death, having a more sustainable, safe, effective and, I expect, cheaper method to accomplish this is something to consider.

Thanks for reading and have a great day,

Natalia Angelini