When you go, go green

As people are becoming more conscious of the environment, and the impact they have on it, so too does the issue of how we send off our loved ones after death in an environmentally friendly manner.

“And for that reason, we have seen over the last few months more and more people opting for the brandnew aquamation method as a green alternative to traditional flame-based cremation,” says Theresa Maree of AVBOB Hermanus.

This follows the mutual assurance society’s recent introduction of the alkaline hydrolysis process, the first of its kind in Africa, at its Maitland agency in Cape Town.

Alkaline hydrolysis, known as aquamation, is a planet-friendly alternative process that involves placing the body in a stainless-steel vessel and then using heat, pressure, and water with a high alkaline level to reduce the body to its basic elements. Our bodies are made up of about 63% water to begin with – and only the inorganic minerals remain.

Click below to read more. (The full article can be found on page 21)