Have you ever considered what might be a more eco-friendly alternative to coffins? How about organic burial pods where, instead of headstones, trees are planted on top.
Two Italian designers–Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel– came up with up a project called Capsula Mundi, an innovative design concept with an environmental twist that addresses the exorbitant use of natural resources associated with traditional burials.
Described as “the first Italian project created to promote the realization of green cemeteries in our country,” Capsula Mundi is an egg-shaped pod created to house a deceased human body in the fetal position, which eventually becomes nutrients that nourish the tree above.
Talk about getting back to your roots.
The idea is similar in nature to the biodegradable urns with a tree seed inside that Care2 shared with readers back in September only without the cremation aspect, and the biodegradable Capsula Mundi is planted like a seed in the soil with a tree seed planted on top of it instead of inside the pod.
Both propose a solution to the fact that coffin-burials and cremation alike take their toll on the environment. These projects envision cemeteries becoming forests instead of tombstone-filled lots, with not a single tree harmed in order to function as the final resting place for loved ones.