In recent years, as environmental awareness has grown, many people are rethinking how they want to be remembered after they pass. One increasingly popular option is ash scattering — a simple, heartfelt, and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional burial. But what exactly makes ash scattering a greener choice? Let’s dig into it.
1. No Embalming Chemicals
Traditional burials often involve embalming, which uses chemicals like formaldehyde, methanol, and ethanol to preserve the body. These chemicals can leach into the soil and groundwater, potentially harming surrounding ecosystems. Ash scattering, on the other hand, involves cremation — no embalming fluids required.
2. Less Land Use
Cemeteries require a significant amount of land, often in or near urban areas. Over time, these spaces fill up, leading to land shortages and pressure to expand into undeveloped natural areas. Ash scattering, especially when done in designated natural spots or at sea, requires no permanent plot of land. It allows nature to remain undisturbed and wild.
3. No Caskets or Vaults
A typical burial involves not just a coffin but often a concrete vault to keep the ground level and prevent sinking. These materials are resource-intensive to produce and transport. Ash scattering eliminates the need for caskets, vaults, and headstones — all of which have an environmental cost.
4. Lower Carbon Footprint Than Burial
While cremation does involve carbon emissions, it still generally results in a smaller carbon footprint than a full-body burial when you consider the energy and materials used in embalming, coffin construction, and cemetery maintenance (like mowing, irrigation, and chemicals used for landscaping).
That said, newer, greener cremation methods like aquamation (alkaline hydrolysis) and human composting (terramation) are emerging as even more sustainable options. But among currently accessible and widely accepted methods, scattering cremated ashes still stands out for its low impact.
5. A Return to Nature
Ash scattering has a poetic and ecological beauty. Whether it’s a forest, ocean, mountain, or a beloved garden, scattering ashes returns a person’s remains to the elements in a gentle way — allowing them to nourish the environment rather than occupy it indefinitely.
A Final Thought
Choosing how we say goodbye is deeply personal, but it can also be an act of environmental consciousness. By choosing ash scattering, you’re not only honoring a life — you’re also preserving the earth for future ones.
Whether it’s done quietly in a cherished place or as part of a heartfelt ritual, scattering ashes can be a powerful and sustainable way to celebrate a life well lived.