Neat article about"the green reaper"

I was happy to see this article. Not just because of the continued shift to being more okay with death and human remains, but because it's in Oregon. And those coffins she makes are so cool.

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/first-state-to-approve-human-composting/?utm_campaign=newsletters&utm_medium=weekly_mailout&utm_source=13-06-2019

THE BOOK they show in the article might be a good one for a permies book give away!

If I got to choose, I'd go somewhere on a solo canoe trip, far off the beaten path.  Option two would be near the compost pile so they could just throw me in.  I'm really glad to see this become a sanctioned option.

Thank you, wonderful people! Nice to be recognized. Please feel free to ask me any questions you are curious about.

Hi Elizabeth, I'd love to hear more about the coffin making process. Also, if one wanted to be buried on their own land in Oregon how would they go about doing it? Thanks!

Hello, Sonja!

Working with wood is a joy for so many people. Here are some basic instructions from my casket maker:

How to Make a Natural Wood Casket

1. Use a shoebox as your scaled-down model for your finished casket. Mark it with measurements for all necessary cuts.

2. Carefully measure the person who will be in the casket. A standard casket is eighty inches long, twenty-eight inches wide, and twenty-three inches high (these are all external measurements), but you may need more or less wood to complete the job. Also find out what specific objects will be placed inside the casket so you can allow for extra room.

3. Use the wood you have on hand or have experience working with, but reclaimed wood is always a great choice. Avoid plywood, which is usually too thin for this project.

4. If you are making a rectangular casket, you can cut the base and lid at the same time, the sides at the same time, and the top and bottom at the same time. If you create a tapered design, cut the base and lid at the same time, and the top and bottom at the same time. For the sides, cut four separate pieces: two shorter pieces for the upper (tapered) side of the casket, and two longer pieces for the lower. Using screws, attach the walls to the base. Hinges can be used to attach the lid to the bottom half of the container. Then, one by one, remove the screws and add a wood dowel and seal the seams and screw holes with nontoxic wood glue.

5. Carefully measure the person who will be in the casket. A standard casket is eighty inches long, twenty-eight inches wide, and twenty-three inches high (these are all external measurements), but you may need more or less wood to complete the job. Also find out what specific objects will be placed inside the casket so you can allow for extra room.

6. Use the wood you have on hand or have experience working with, but reclaimed wood is always a great choice. Avoid plywood, which is usually too thin for this project.

7. If you are making a rectangular casket, you can cut the base and lid at the same time, the sides at the same time, and the top and bottom at the same time. If you create a tapered design, cut the base and lid at the same time, and the top and bottom at the same time. For the sides, cut four separate pieces: two shorter pieces for the upper (tapered) side of the casket, and two longer pieces for the lower. Using screws, attach the walls to the base. Hinges can be used to attach the lid to the bottom half of the container. Then, one by one, remove the screws and add a wood dowel and seal the seams and screw holes with nontoxic wood glue.

8. To create handles, use about 24 feet of strong rope or nylon cord, and drill holes along the sides of the casket, through which you will weave the rope. Drill three holes on the lower portion of each long side, and two holes on each end, top and bottom. Weave the rope or cord through these openings, which creates a secured grouping of six handles for attendants to carry the casket. Make sure to tie off the ends of the rope firmly (on the inside), and use nontoxic wood glue to secure the knots, if needed.

9. If you want a soft casket liner, sew this out of biodegradable silk or cotton (or hire an experienced seamstress to do this), and attach. You can also have your loved one lie on a soft comforter, sheet, non-synthetic pillows, or nothing at all.
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Oregon law dictates each county can choose if private land burial is workable. I always suggest calling the specific county's Planning ad Zoning Dept (or ask the county to get you to the person best representing this function) and ask.

Sonja, thank you for your interest!

Elizabeth

Thanks so much for the response and sorry I missed it! Happy you are on Permies this week. :)

What about tips on the dryer lint coffin?

Hi, Sonja!

When my daughter was quite small, I noticed that all our dryer lint became bright and colorful. Her girly clothing left behind something magical, and I knew I should lay it out for birds to make nests or store it away as a fire starter on camping trips. Or maybe I could give it to my funeral families to organically wrap portions of their loved one’s cremains. So not dryer lint caskets, but urns.

In 2010, as the fortieth anniversary of Earth Day was approaching, I decided to see if I could fabricate cremation urns out of all the lint I had set aside. I soon realized I could scoop out the clingy bits of fiber and fluff and create sustainable art. A local artist friend, Marliese Franklin, and I sautéed the lint in water in a large saucepan, stirring well. Slowly adding flour, we cooked my dryer dust dregs over medium heat, rousing constantly until the mixture held together, forming peaks. We then poured it out onto several layers of newspaper to cool.

Dryer lint urns have two obvious advantages: They are environmentally friendly, as one would expect a biodegradable urn to be, and you can make them essentially for free. They are a natural demonstration of the cycle of life — we are born, we die, we replenish the Earth, and the cycle begins again — as well as a great option for anyone on a budget.

I gave away the urns I made for free to anyone in need who wanted one, and I encourage you to try making your own, using my simple recipe:

•3 cups dryer lint
•2 cups warm water
•1 cup flour

Well that's definitely a different mental picture than I had but just as cool.  How do you form the urns after it cools? I feel like this process could be used to make other containers too... Gift boxes, maybe?

Great question. It cools in the shape of the form it's going to take. I would be successful shaping it around a large vegetable and once it is fully dried, I could simply eat the vegetable out of the urn!

Thanks! Great ideas.

Thanks! Great ideas.

I'm collecting lint now! ;)