Ecopod: Green Coffins -- Bling Optional

Seriously, we swear we're not unhealthily fascinated with death... It's just that human funerary technology is going to be a serious concern in the next few decades, because the world population is growing to a point where we may need new ways of looking at burial and death. As we've pointed out before, a good start on that path is to look at biodegradable coffins which allow nature to take it's course with the remains, rather than preserving them uselessly. But your loved ones shouldn't have to give up their stately lifestyle just because they want a treehuggable funeral, and they don't have to, thanks to this beauty.

Ecopod is a UK company begun by former natural birth advocate Hazel Selena. Hazel decided in her later years that the other end of the life spectrum should receive the same natural consideration as the beginning. Out of realization came Ecopod, a molded recycled paper/mineral shell held closed with cotton banding and decorated in your choice of silkscreen patterns, or hand applied gold leaf (shown above). These coffins are large enough for an adult, and decompose completely in active soil, producing mulch for a garden or tree as a more permanent reminder of the deceased. A playful molded paper acorn urn is also available for burial or storage of cremated remains.
:: Ecopod Sustainable Coffins [by DM]

Silkscreened Paper Coffins