#cremation

What if he gets turned into a diamond? What if Grace tells Adrian that humans figured out they can be cremated and have their ashes turned into diamonds? What if Grace asks Adrian to turn him into a diamond for Rocky? Rocky gets the stone set into their carapace so Grace is always with them.

Scotland is making history in end-of-life care. As of this year, families there now have a third option alongside burial and traditional cremation: alkaline hydrolysis, more commonly known as water cremation. It’s already legal in the Republic of Ireland and across much of the United States, and the company leading its UK introduction is calling it the biggest change to cremation law since the practice was first regulated in 1902. [...] The numbers here are notable. A standard cremation produces the equivalent of roughly 320 kilograms (about 705 pounds) of carbon dioxide. Alkaline hydrolysis emits seven times less. For families weighing their environmental footprint as part of end-of-life planning, that gap is significant. It’s worth noting that water cremation was the method chosen by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the anti-apartheid activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, when he died in 2021. Public Health Minister Jenni Minto described the process as “an environmentally friendly alternative” to existing options, adding: “The choices people make about their remains prior to death are deeply personal, shaped by individual values, beliefs and the wishes of their families. The process will be subject to the same assurances and regulatory requirements as existing methods, giving bereaved families confidence that their loved ones are treated with care, dignity and respect.”

Why is it so hard to keep the dead buried? Read our fascinating new essay from Ralph Jones here.

Eternal Reefs is a non-profit organization in Sarasota, Florida that will turn your loved ones cremated remains into a coral reef.

(notes provided by Google Gemini, the AI arm of Google)