London Funeral Exhibition 2012

This weekend, Carfax Studios spent a fun day out at the London Funeral Exhibition, held in the beautiful Chiltern Woodland Burial Site.

It was a great event, raising awareness about the importance of death and dying in modern society, and about the options available for end of life care and after death.

With exhibitors including The Natural Death Centre, Dying Matters, the Good Funeral Guide and The Bereavement Register, there were an interesting array of people to discuss the subject with.

There was a fantastic exhibition of coffins and urns, including willow coffins, cardboard coffins, and dissolvable and biodegradable urns. Also on display was a motorcycle hearse, a carriage hearse and a willow coffin on a pull-along cart.

In addition to stands there was plenty of entertainment - talks, storytelling, music from the splendid duo Nicetoy, puppet shows, basket weaving displays, and a barbeque (despite the rain!), and it certainly made for an interesting day out.
After spending time chatting with the exhibitors we walked around the burial site; it was such a peaceful space, with graves discreetly and beautifully marked, none of the gloom of traditional English cemeteries, but a nice space where nature can get on and do her thing undisturbed. And, crucially, the burial ground presents an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional burial or cremation.                        

Resomation

If you like the idea of an environmentally friendly funeral, another innovative idea alongside promession is Resomation.

Resomation is the dissolution of the body by a water and alkali based method called alkaline hydrolysis. The body is placed in a stainless steel vessel containing water, known as a Resomator, and potassium hydroxide, heat and pressure are applied. Within three hours, the body tissue is dissolved into a water like sterile liquid , and the soft bones are crushed in a processor, the same machine used to crush the bone remains in cremation . The liquid is recycled back into the water cycle, and the pure white ash may be handed back to the family as in traditional cremation.

Resomation was developed as an eco-friendly alternative to cremation and burial, and according to Glasgow-based company Resomation Ltd, it uses only a seventh of the energy used for cremation, produces no airborne mercury emissions, and the substitution of Resomation for cremation reduces a funeral’s emissions of greenhouse gases by approximately 35%.
Sandy Sullivan, Managing Director of Resomation Ltd, says: 'It is another choice that will appeal especially to those who wish to express their environmental awareness and concerns in a positive way in death as they did in their life.'

Resomation is not currently available in the UK, although the government has been approached about regulation and Resomation Ltd are currently awaiting the outcome. 

The process has, however, been regulated in some states in the US, and is available as an option in Florida.

Sandy Sullivan, Founder and Managing Director of Resomation Ltd, alongside the Resomator.