Alt-Death
Interesting L.A. Times Magazine article by Nancy Rommelmann about the "alternative-death movement," where families prepare their own loved one's bodies, dispense with the smelly chemicals, and conduct "green burials," typically for thousands of dollars less than your standard Forest Lawn job. "Home preparation of the deceased," it turns out, "is legal in every state but four." My favorite quote, from a green cemetery operator:
"We bury people in overalls, playing country music and throwing cigarettes in the grave," he says. "I had one guy who was buried there who said, 'I love the woods, I just don't like environmentalists.' It wasn't an ideological thing for him. It does appeal to free-market Republicans who want to see a business do this and see people make individual choices. It appeals to people who are hard-core environmentalists. We've seen a lot of support from evangelical Christians, who are talking about the Rapture and the whole nine yards, who think this is more in keeping with what the Bible says. It's like Genesis 3:19: Dust are thou and to dust thou shall return.
