After You’re Dead
But, said Harris, there’s more to it than that. “Green burial is not just about the environment. It’s about good, old-fashioned values like thrift and simplicity, self-sufficiency, a love of family, a respect for tradition. Those broad values appeal to more than just environmentalists. And it’s because of that that I believe natural burial will become a mainstream phenomenon.”
How will that come to pass?
“People from the margins will continue to push natural cemeteries along,” said Harris, “but I think what you’ll see soon is that mainstream funeral directors will start offering these kinds of services. Yes, they’ll still offer embalming, metal caskets and the burial vault, but I think you’ll see them start adding things like refrigeration and bio-degradable caskets to their price lists. I’m already starting to see that.”
Change is coming, but is it coming fast enough?
“There’s not a lot of choice at this point,” said French, at least not locally. “I really want a green burial when I die, so I’ll just have to keep on living until we get one locally. That’s my plan. Not that I’m ready to go, but I hope it happens sooner rather than later.”
Journalist/author Mark Harris will talk on green burial and other topics from his book, Grave Matters, A Journey Through the Modern Funeral Industry to a Natural Way of Burial, Saturday, April 26, 1-3 p.m. at the annual meeting of the Funeral Alliance of Humboldt at the Humboldt Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Hall, Jacoby Creek Rd., Bayside. Additionally, on Friday, April 25, at 7 p.m. Harris will discussGrave Mattersand sign copies of the book at Northtown Books, 957 H St., Arcata. On the Web:grave-matters.blogspot.com.
Pacific Rest
Offshoring your body
In his book, Grave Matters, Mark Harris devotes a full chapter to “The Memorial Reef,” specifically to a Georgia-based company called Eternal Reefs, pioneers in the business of encasing cremated remains in structures used to augment damaged reefs on the East Coast and elsewhere.
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on the cover
Railroad!
Proposed lines ‘set rich blood a-tingling’ in early 1900s
Some Other Proposed North Coast Railroads
Choo-choo Fantasies
Exposing this east-west rail nonsense
seven-o-heaven
Undeterred Will
Will chides Andrew for lack of attention to detail and makes plans for his inevitable victory.
Recent on the cover
May 17
Ring of Fire
Sun and moon will perform a rare pas de deux in Humboldt skies on Sunday
May 10
District Soup
Racing for the top county seat in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd districts
May 3
A Place in the Woods
As park closure deadline nears, a scramble to save what we can
Today
44th Annual Kinetic Grand Championship Race
STAFF PICK / events, art, outdoors, sports, for kids, free / 9 a.m.-6 p.m. A 3-day, 42-mile kinetic sculpture race over land, sand, mud and water! LeMans start at the Noon Whistle on the Arcata Plaza. Follow the race through Manila, Eureka and into Ferndale on Memorial Day for the Glorious Finish. kineticgrandchampionship.com. 889-3024.
Flow 2012 Fashion Show
STAFF PICK / events / 8 p.m. Arcata Theatre Lounge, 1036 G St. Student designed and produced clothing. Fundraiser for Arcata Arts Institute. $35/$25 students. artsinstitute.net. 822-1220.
Woodside Preschool's Rummage/Bake Sale
events / 8 a.m.-noon. Woodside Preschool, 900 Hodgson St, Eureka. www.woodsidepreschool.com. 445-9132.
Lanphere Dunes Restoration
STAFF PICK / outdoors / 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Meet at Pacific Union School. Help remove non-native invasives at the Lanphere Dunes Unit of the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Tools and gloves provided, wear work clothes and bring water. Carpool to the protected site. 444-1397.
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