In Maine, the state legislature is considering allowing people to be buried by being burned on a funeral pyre. This is similar to traditional Viking funerals, where they would put the body on a boat, light it on fire, and set it out to sea, as shown in television shows like Game of Thrones. As of now, this is only legal in two places in the United States, and both of those places are in Colorado. The Maine bill was introduced by Sen. Eloise Vitelli, D-Sagadahoc, and it would allow nonprofits that have at least 20 acres of land to have open-air cremations and spread the ashes on the property. Good Ground, Great Beyond is a non-profit that has a 63-acre piece of land in Dresden where they hope to have open-air cremations. According to the bill, the body would need to be in a three-sided container in a fixed location that would be able to withstand the necessary 1500-degree heat.

According to the Good Ground, Great Beyond website, “The intention for the land is to become a contemplative community sanctuary, scattering garden and space for open-air cremation. Our mission is to gather minds and hearts together in ongoing and active support of making open-air cremation an option available to the community.”

According to The Sun Journal, Maine is the state with the highest percentage of people who choose to be cremated instead of a traditional burial. About 75 percent of people in Maine choose to be cremated. It is cheaper than a traditional burial.

“The folks I hear from tell me they ought to be able to plan their own funeral. Ideally made with the collaboration of family and friends. They welcome the chance to consider all the possibilities including one that has been practiced in many parts of the world,” says Democratic state Rep. Allison Hepler of Woolwich, who is a co-sponsor of the bill.

And according to Angela Lutzenberger with the group Good Ground, Great Beyond, “Open air cremation, while a new idea to many, is also a well understood, preferred and normal option for others. This choice is common in places like India and Nepal.”

If this bill passed, then Maine would be the first state to allow open-air cremations. Missouri almost became the first state to legalize this in 2019, but it was vetoed by the governor.

In Seattle, there is a company called Recompose that started in December 2020. This company turns human remains into nutrient-rich soil in 30 days. Recompose is located in a place called The Greenhouse that contains 10 stainless steel cylinders where the human remains are converted. They do this “by placing the deceased in a mixture of wood chips, alfalfa, and straw to form a cocoon. Microbes and beneficial bacteria in the mixture break down the body over the course of 30 days. When the process is complete, clean and usable soil is produced. It is given up to a month to dry and is then distributed to the family or donated to Bells Mountain, a 700-acre non-profit land trust in southern Washington” according to My Modern Met. After this process is complete, the remains of loved ones can be used in a garden, for example.

It costs $5,550 to do this. This cost covers the transformation and transportation within the Seattle area. If your loved one is located elsewhere, separate transportation arrangements will need to be made.

These alternatives are definitely something to think about, with about one million acres of land set aside for human remains and four million acres of forest cut down each year to make caskets. So, these alternatives could have you taking up less space and less natural resources once you die.