Everyone likes statistics, so lets start with some as reported by both Stats Canada and BC Vital Statistics.
Canada and BC Vital Statistics. The most recent Annual Report for the British Columbia Vital Statistics Agency states that in BC 82 per cent of families chose cremation in 2011. Per Stats Canada, there were 35,325 deaths in BC in 2015, which represents approximately 29,000 cremations.
Considering a typical cremation has a footprint equivalent to about 320kg of carbon dioxide, BC is basically responsible for 9,280,000 kg of carbon dioxide pollution.
This doesn’t take into account other dangerous toxins, in particular mercury from dental fillings, which returns to earth in rain and accumulates in the aquatic food chain.
Bio-cremation, scientifically known as Alkaline Hydrolysis, is a process that reduces the human body to skeletal fragments with the end product being exactly what is left now using flame cremation.
Instead of using fossil fuel to burn the body to bone fragments, bio-cremation uses water mixed with sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide to wash the body freeing up the skeleton.
From that point forward all processes are exactly the same whereby the bones are mechanically reduced into fine particles to be placed in an urn or ossuary and returned to the family.
The byproduct of the bio-cremation process is a sterile wash that is now organic and can be safely put into the municipal waste management system, or as in some US states, used as an organic compostable material.
Bio-cremation has been approved and is operational in 3 Canadian Provinces and 14 US States (at the time of this writing).
We are attempting to have this process approved in British Columbia. Specifically in the Greater Victoria or CRD, we are responsible for approximately 1,280,000 kg of carbon dioxide pollutants as a result of the current flame cremation.
Bio-cremation could reduce this carbon footprint by 90% or 1,152,000 an impressive reduction.
Bio-cremation further reduces the cost to the consumer of a casket or cremation container as the body is placed into the alkaline water solution with no casket.
Governments around the world are recognizing and approving this process as they see the benefits to the environment.
It is our hope that together we can encourage our BC Government to permit its use in BC.
For further information about bio-cremation or to see how you can get involved with this initiative please email funeral director Chris Benesch with Earth’s Option – Cremation and Burial Services in Victoria at chris@earthsoption.com.
Thanks Jocelyne….we really appreciate your support!
Thank you Jocelyne for adding your unique experience and thoughts to this very important emerging practice. The environment needs all the help it can get from all facets of our existence.
As the first pet crematorium in Canada to have embraced and offered alkaline hydrolysis for pets, I can attest to the benefits of converting from flame-based cremation to the water-based cremation. I did visit human crematoriums using this process, and not only it is clean and environmentally friendly, it is a dignified disposition. Because let’s face it, dealing with a corpse (or deceased animal) is part of a life lived on this planet. Doing it this way is by far more dignified, environmental and gentler than using fossil fuels.
Good luck Earths Options in bringing this to BC – it is long overdue considering we like to label BC as the greenest province in Canada!