When it comes to picking out your burial choices, most people are limited to burial in a coffin that is placed in the ground or a mausoleum, or cremation. Cremation pollutes the air and graveyards take up space and really, a coffin isn’t much more than an expensive box that is left to rot in the ground. Capsula Mundi is an eco-friendly alternative that encapsulates the deceased’s body in a pod that eventually grows into a tree.
These “seed coffins” were developed as an environmentally positive alternative to traditional burial by Italian couple Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel.
The individual picks out the seed pod of the desired tree of their choice and the tree is cared for by their loved ones after they pass away. Instead of having a cold slab of granite as a symbol of their life, they can now bring new life into the world. The egg-like burial capsules are made from a starch plastic that is 100% biodegradable, and planted in the ground just like a seed with a tree sapling placed on top.
Here is what the process from burial to tree would look like. Pretty cool, no?
Instead of a graveyard of tombstones, there’s now a beautiful “memory forest” that provides oxygen and a sanctuary for birds.
Right now the Italian government doesn’t permit this kind of burial process. The folks at Capsula Mundi are working to change that though, and with any luck one day this Earth-friendly burial process will be a real option.