When I posted the article on Monday concerning building a wooden casket a friend of mine made a suggestion on a “greener” alternative to traditional burials. He recommended, as he has done, to donate your body to science. There are several websites that walk you through the process and I was even surprised that at least one service allows for your love ones to receive your cremated ashes back in a period as short as 6 weeks. It’s something that I really haven’t ever considered beyond organ donation but will start thinking about.
From Science Care – “As an alternative to traditional burial, funeral, or cremation, Science Care’s whole body donation program offers the chance to make a contribution that benefits others. By providing a vital service and a pathway to greater knowledge and discovery, together we can help save lives, advance medical research and education, and improve quality of life for families and the community.”
From LifeQuest Anatomical – “Full body donation is one of the most compassionate alternatives to a funeral. Body donation is not the same as organ donation. Although organ donation is perhaps a better known alternative to a funeral, anatomical donation is an equally important gift to the future of humankind - and the cost of cremation is free. By donating your body to science, you're not only saving your family money, but are helping give surgeons a learning opportunity which may lead to a more efficient technique or a new life-saving surgical procedure. Full body donation makes cutting edge developments in the fields of cancer treatment, thoracic research and neurology studies possible."
A few websites that I found on donating your body to science (I’m sure there are many more and you need to check the rules in the State that you live in):
