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Now Your Coffin Can Be As Biodegradable As You Are

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 28, 2007

It's called the Ecopod. It sounds like a rare crustacean or an environmentally safe work cubicle. In fact, it's a kayak-shaped coffin - made of recycled newspaper.

Biodegradable coffins are part of a larger trend toward "natural" burials, which require no formaldehyde embalming, cement vaults, chemical lawn treatments or laminated caskets. Advocates say such burials are less damaging to the environment.

Eco-friendly burials have been popular in Britain for years, but industry experts say they're catching on in the United States, where "green" cemeteries hosting natural burials have sprouted up in California, New York, South Carolina, Texas - and in Florida.

"It is composting at its best," says Cynthia Beal, owner of The Natural Burial Co.

Nation/World, Page 17

•U.S. funeral homes generate an estimated $11 billion in revenue annually.

•Biodegradable containers cost from around $100 for a basic cardboard box up to more than $3,000 for a handcrafted, hand-painted model.

•The Green Burial Council is working on certification programs to verify the commitment and quality of providers who say they are going natural.

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