When I die, bury me with the mycelium
Recently, while reading through the Goodnewsletter for positive stories, I came across an incredible post on the topic of "eco-friendly burials".
Various examples of these 'eco-friendly burials' were mentioned: cremated ashes being put into artificial reefs, mushrooms being grown into human-sized caskets, and the process of human composting. All of them are equally as interesting to me, a beautiful concept in of itself. But one in particular stuck out to me, the concept of mushroom coffins..
To tell you the truth, my interest in mushrooms is relatively new. A couple months back during March, the hobby of foraging and cooking wild mushrooms deeply fascinated me. Maybe it was the inherent aesthetic of it all,as I have always been a nature-affinate person. There's nothing better than relaxing out in the wild, touching some grass (quite literally) and taking in the colors of the sky.
Mushrooms are just a natural extension of this beauty. They differ in terms of shape, color, and even lethality. Each mushroom is unique in their own special way, while some can often be similar (usually lethal and non-lethal counterparts). You can forage them, consume them (some, only once.) My personal favorite has always been the Chicken of the Woods (Laetiporus), which is nearly identical in taste to authentic chicken meat. 1
Which is to say that the idea of a coffin-shaped mushroom was incredible to read about! I really do encourage anyone interested to read further into it. It makes me wonder what kind of potential eco-friendly burials could be discovered and even utilized in the future. With such technology being relatively new, I want to see more of how we can continue to make a lasting impact on the world through giving back to the environment. It feels like a quite literal way of 'becoming one' with the soil.
It's safe to say that the traditional wood coffins do have their effects on the environment, through concerns of landfill waste, resource depletion and the glaring issue of harmful chemical pollution. These coffins are created for the express purpose of preserving decay, but as stated by Bob Hendrikx, co-owner of Loop Biotech (the company behind these coffins2 ), "bodies are meant to decay." and what better way to decay than to become one with nature itself?
From growing mycelium into functional coffins (even urns) to creating unique artificial reefs out of recycled oyster shells that host cremated remains. It feels something straight out of fantasy, and yet, it's real.
In fact, if I ever had the chance, I'd personally love to be buried inside a big, coffin-shaped mushroom. So please, if there's ever a chance... when I die, bury me with the mycelium, please. 🍄🟫
Thank you so much for reading! This is my second ever post on Bear, it took me a while to churn this out, but I'm overall glad with the final output. It's been a busy week for me, and even busier weekend. So I thought to unwind by writing here on Bear!
If this kind of topic piques your interest, feel free to send me an email with your thoughts! :-)3
Did you know? Mushrooms are closer to animals than they are to plants. They are Fungi, after all. In this case, many mushrooms taste similar to animal meat when cooked thoroughly, if not brought up by its subtle, earthy taste. Chicken of the Woods is one of the few mushrooms that fall under this categeory. Ive never tried these mushrooms myself, but believe me, I really want to.↩
This isn't an endorsement for these companies! I'm simply writing because I find the process itself interesting. If you're curious, you can feel free to read about Loop Biotech, Resting Reef, and Recompose on your own accord. It's best to keep well-researched!↩
This was originally supposed to be a much more in depth post, but I thought to upload something small and bite-sized, since I've been putting off writing this blogpost just for research (and, considering my own availability, I still want to at least put out one post each week! Or two posts per week? I'm unsure.)↩