The burial of the dead begun almost 27,000 years ago, when the first human communities were assembling in cultural lines
that viewed the deceased as worthy of reverence and piety. Those early populations were not only reverent with their ancestries but with the nutrient source for their live: Nature, very far away of today
pollution, they consecrated separated grounds for their dead and many cultures, as Egyptian and Inca, mummified their dead, pretending keep the bodies unhurt for future life.
In those days the first religions developed in the Mesopotamia and The Indo Valley, along with others cults scattered around the world, living birth to awareness about the death and the necessity of a burials and burials grounds. Death obsessed, many cultures try to solve the problem by many ways: cremation, embalming, mummification, even letting the bodies exposed to the climate hostilities.
With the advent of Jewish monotheism, a large portion of regulations about grieving, mourning, preparing and burying the dead adjusted the idea of death as having part on contamination processes, so it was very important to be purify of all contacts with the dead. The first Christian tried to imitated Jesus by being buried as he was and regret the pagan custom of cremate their dead, thinking that the body should be reverenced due to the reason of once having inside an immortal soul, this practice created a problem: more spaces available for burying their dead were needed and the Catacombs , that once held the first dead, could no offer to solution to the problem. The Christian, then, begun to bury their dead along the countryside and close to the road, giving a remain that life is brief and futile. After a time, churches were selected to hold the bodies of the faithfuls and the sacred ground provided by the Churches was a shelter for those in wait of glorious resurrection. This posed a risk to the population health and was the fear of death awaken in the high ranked people the reason that moved the
cemeteries out of the cities walls. That was the first attempt to prevent epidemic illness spread and conservate the sense of sacrality of the death.
Muslim are required by their religion’s rules to to bury their dead quickly, so most of the faithfuls choose to bury the deceased within 24 hours, other requirements that have to be met is to aligne the tomb towards Mecca,on a northeast to southwest axis: body must be placed in the grave according to that disposition, head is at the southwest end, the right way to face towards the sacred Mecca.. Usually only one or two white sheets are wrapped around the body and no coffin is used, but some times, people would use it , other task proper of this religion is the ceremonial wash before burying the body, and some Mosques provide the facility..Muslims must fill the requirement of a proper tomb that rises from the ground between four and twelve inches, avoiding in this way that someone may thread over the ground.
As we see, the death process is always of high importance for all religions but the death industry have turn a natural process of grieving and condolence is successful business which have given many benefits to their owners and many headaches to those who are concern with the proper environmental care applied to death process, including coffins manufacture, cemeteries building and maintenance and other issues related. Cemeteries must be properly monitored to be sure they are not polluting the vital planet resources, like water: Underground water pollution is a high risk of traditional cemeteries, which currently have no any measure of preventing this hazard and others, like the contamination produced by the non Eco friendly cremation, releasing to the atmosphere tons of mercury and other metals that are highly dangerous to environment.Other big mistake is to choose a coffin without regarding the issues related to it,like the use of trees that are no reforested to manufacture the coffins, along with lack of reforestation is must be heavily remarked that using a tree which is no natural to the location where is transplanted, offers another way of pollution, bringing many times new pest and unbalancing the Eco system.
New products are being introduced on the funeral and cemeteries business that are Eco friendly and can help us to stop the pollution problem if we are smart enough to make the right choose from a very wide range of services, like Eco friendly cemeteries, which offer you the planting of a tree with each burial and not interfering with the Eco system, letting wildlife take possession of the place. Recycled newspaper coffins can be purchased if you plan a Eco friendly burial, letting the coffin degrade naturally, other options are bamboo, or wicker coffin, that have the same effect. If you want a traditional coffin, you can buy a simple, plain coffin that can be customized with ribbons, flowers or other elements.
Having a Eco friendly funeral and /or burial is available for any confession or cult: many people celebrate their own religious rituals and have a bamboo, or cardboard coffin. Eco friendly cemeteries usually are no confessional but allow the blessings and rituals specified but any religions.
When you feel aware of preventing pollution and protecting environment on you location, be sure to include this awareness not only in life but also, in death.