Here are some possible alternatives that I have found that could help Potter's Fields from being moved. Making a whole body donation is a good alternative and it is
free. Of course this can only be done with bodies that are claimed by
relatives. If the deceased did not make arrangements for a whole body donation
prior to death, the body can be donated as long as the relatives are in
agreement. The cremated remains are returned to the family upon request. This
is from a reply made on Oct. 28th from a comment made to “We are
running out of room” posted on Oct. 20th regarding whole body
donations.
I have pulled this information from website of BioGift. They
will cover ALL expenses provided they can use the body and if the
transportation cost does not exceed $1,500. The cremated remains will be given
to the family upon request, again at no cost. However, this is still dependent
on the deceased body qualifying as a whole body donation. Some exclusions are;
infectious diseases “such as viral Hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, Creutzfeldt Jakobd
Disease or Tuberculosis) may not donate. Other factors may prohibit donating to
BioGift such as severe obesity (>50% over normal weight), excessive edema,
decomposition, trauma or embalming.” [1]
Since there are some exemptions to whole body donations that
would exclude some people I looked into a few other alternatives. I found a
cemetery in London has been recycling plots in order to stay in business. My
suggestion would be to recycle the plots in Potter’s Fields and other municipal cemeteries to
alleviate the need for moving the cemetery for urban development. Helen Knight’s article Way to go (2011), offers some space
saving alternatives to traditional burials. “With over half of the world's population living in cities, lack of
space is a growing problem in urban cemeteries” (Knight, p. 44). The graves are
dug up and then the exhumed bodies are placed in a mass grave. This method of
recycling graves conserves on much needed space. I would guess that after 3 or
4 generations, gravesites are no longer visited my family members or loved ones
of the deceased. Not to be rude or disrespectful, but the gravesites of the
unclaimed and unknown will probably will never be visited. Why not recycle the
graves after 50-100 years?
Another space saving and environment friendly alternative to
traditional burials are “green” burials. This method has been adopted by a
cemetery on Denman Island. Meribeth Deen’s (2011) Mortal Soil explains that cremations, although is a space saver,
may not be as environmentally friendly as it was once thought. The “green”
burial would be of little cost to the city to inter indignant people compared
to a traditional burial. “The
basic principle of natural burial is that bodies are returned to the earth
without chemical embalming. Caskets must be biodegradable, made from untreated
wood or cardboard; bodies can also be buried in cloth shrouds. Graves are not
lined with plastic or concrete, as they are in most North American cemeteries,
and green cemeteries don't feature manicured lawns and tombstones” (Deen,
p.24). There would not be pesticides left in the ground with a buried embalmed
body or harmful pollutants released in the air from cremations. “Nearly every
municipal cemetery in British Columbia is contemplating incorporating some
aspect of green burial” (Deen, p. 24).
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Figure 1[2]
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Perhaps if the
United States could get its municipal cemeteries to adopt one or all of these
space saving concepts, this could potentially stop Potter’s Fields from being
moved.
Reference:
Deen, M. (2011). MORTAL SOIL. Canadian
Geographic, 131(4), 24.
Knight, H. (2011). Way to go. New
Scientist, 211(2825), 44-47.
Dawn,
ReplyDeleteTell everyone to read all the fine print regarding body donations.
Sure, I'd like to give one last gift to the education of Doctors. But...
For instance, if you donate organs for transplantation, the medical school will not accept the body as it is not whole. (They are usually used for cadaver training and are required to be whole. They can't have had certain diseases. They cannot have been embalmed nor autopsied.
Pick up, paperwork, transportation, of whole bodies is done by funeral homes and/or transporters. They bill for this. From Cape Girardeau to Wash U in St Louis can run from $1,200 to $2,000 or more. They may not accept you when you get there. Then what?
What if you pass away in California and you're 2,000 miles away. What if you live another 90 years after you grant permission?
Do you want your family to have all this?
It could be a great idea! Read carefully. Seek advice. Think about it.
Bob Hill
Dawn,
ReplyDeleteIn fact, you could do a whole blog on body donations.
Thanks for getting me thinking about it.
Thanks for your many other thoughts.
Bob Hill
Dawn,
ReplyDeleteFrom Biogift:
Mailing Address Information
Biogift is only able to assist in domestic USA donations in certain areas in the states of California, Colorado, Idaho, Michigan, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and Washington. Please complete the form below to see if your address is within our coverage area.
Maybe there's an opportunity to serve here. From what I see, though, it would be only for the right lawyer. There also would have to enough support from users (Medical schools, etc.) to support it. Biogift is privately held, so we don't know if its a non-profit or what.
Like I said, this alone would have made a great blog. But no greater than "Moving Cemeteries" by Dawn Brown.
Bob Hill