Biodegradable Urn Options For An Eco-Friendly Memorial
Biodegradable urns allow families to honor departed loved ones in an ecologically friendly manner. Biodegradable urns are made from a wide range of materials that break down naturally and non-toxically. You can find biodegradable urns from The Living Urn® that break down in water or after burial. Some biodegradable urns are buried like a traditional casket, while others are designed to be planted with a young tree. Let’s explore your biodegradable urn options so you can select an urn that honors your loved one’s legacy.
What is a Biodegradable Urn and How Does It Work?
Biodegradable urns are made from materials designed to break down in the natural environment. How they work depends on their intended purpose. Burial urns will break down over time when buried underground. Water urns are designed to degrade when placed in water. Tree urns will break down quickly, allowing roots to grow and spread.
Make sure you choose an urn that fits your purpose. For example, storing or displaying ashes in a water or tree urn isn’t a good idea, since these urns are designed to degrade quickly. The Living Urn® offers display urns made from natural materials without chemicals, creating a sturdy but eco-friendly memorial.
How a Biodegradable Urn Creates an Eco-Friendly Memorial
Using a biodegradable urn allows you to make a more eco-friendly choice and reduces the use of plastics and metals. This allows families to memorialize their loved ones and return their ashes to the earth in a more sustainable manner.
Biodegradable urns are especially important for a water burial at sea. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), you cannot use plastic or any material that contributes to marine debris, making a completely biodegradable urn essential for a water burial.
Many families choose a biodegradable urn to support other environmentally friendly choices, such as planting a memorial tree or choosing a natural burial setting. It’s possible to personalize your eco-friendly memorial by choosing the type of memorial tree and where to plant it for your loved one.
Types of Biodegradable Urns For Burial, Water, And Tree Memorials
Let’s explore how to use biodegradable urns for burials and tree memorials.
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Burial urns are designed to hold cremated remains and then be buried in the earth. The Living Urn® offers bamboo burial urns. These beautiful urns are handmade without chemicals or glue. Many families choose to bury ashes because it’s similar to a traditional casket funeral.
- Water urns can be made from anything from recycled plant materials to ice. They are designed to hold ashes and float on the water. Depending on the design, the bottom will dissolve, allowing the ashes to easily disperse into the water, while the top will slowly sink and dissolve.
The EPA governs water burials at sea; regulations require that they occur at least 3 nautical miles offshore. Check state and local rules before conducting a water burial on a river or lake.
- A tree urn allows you to safely plant cremation ashes with a small tree, shrub, or flowers. While trees are popular, you can also choose perennials like an elderberry shrub or a rose bush. Simply planting a tree or plant with cremation ashes can cause the plant to fail. A tree urn is designed with specialized soil additives that allow the cremation ashes to mingle and nourish the growing plant safely. It’s essential that you plant a memorial tree that will grow in your region and that you’ve scouted the planting site for suitability.
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Scattering urns give you the ability to easily scatter a loved one's ashes in nature. These come in a variety of sizes, however, most are longer than traditional urns to help you scatter away from your body and also not as wide so they're easier to carry with you and use during the scattering. Many scattering urns are biodegradable and can be buried or disposed of in nature when finished.
How To Choose The Right Biodegradable Urn For Your Loved One
Start with the intended final placement, whether that’s the ground, the water, or a memorial tree or plant. Consider whether or not a permanent memorial is important to your family, along with the wishes of your departed loved one. Another factor is whether you and any family members want to keep a portion of the cremation ashes for display or keepsakes. There isn’t a right or wrong choice here; it’s about what feels right to you and your family.
Once you’ve decided how much of the cremation ashes will be used, it’s important to choose the appropriate-sized biodegradable urn. Check the urn’s capacity to ensure it can hold the amount of cremation ashes you have, and read the product’s instructions carefully.
For memorial trees, make sure you take into account your region’s climate and USDA growing zone, as well as the sunlight, soil type, and size of the chosen planting location.
Create An Eco-Friendly Memorial With The Living Urn
Using a biodegradable urn is a way to honor the memory of a loved one, especially for a person who valued environmental responsibility. The Living Urn® offers a variety of biodegradable urns for ground burial, water burial, or memorial tree planting.
- BioUrn® Planting System: Allows you to grow a memorial tree or plant to honor your loved one.
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Eco Water Urn: Designed to gently dissolve and disperse your loved one’s ashes into the water.
- Eco Burial BioUrn®: Breaks down quickly after burial, releasing the ashes to the earth.
- Eco Scattering Urn: Made from bamboo, a fast growing eco-friendly plant, this unique urn makes for a beautiful way to scatter a loved one's ashes.
Families can select the option that best reflects their loved one’s relationship with nature and their own preferred form of remembrance. With The Living Urn®, an eco-friendly memorial can be both environmentally thoughtful and deeply personal.