Present grave problem research

Each year, burials in the United States use 30 million board feet of wood (each board foot is 12 inches by 12 inches by 1 inch), more than1.6 104,000 tons of steel, million tons of concrete for burial structures, and 800,000 gallons of embalming fluid, according to an article in the Berkeley Planning Journal. The wood alone could be used to build 4.5 million homes.

Additionally, embalming fluid—which caught on in the US after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated—is highly toxic, and those toxins can leach into the soil and air. In even small quantities it can irritate the throat and eyes, and in large quantities, it can be deadly. Formaldehyde, a key ingredient in embalming fluid, has been labeled a carcinogen, potentially posing a risk to those who work in burial services. Cremation isn’t very environmentally friendly, either. The fire produces pollutants when certain materials in the body melt.

Yet, we persist because we want to respect our loved ones in death as much as we respected them in life. This means holding their memory and connecting it to something tangible, like a grave.

Mary Shelley famously felt an intense connection to her mother, who died soon after giving birth to her. Shelley would frequently visit her grave and read her mother’s writing. The church graveyard became her respite from a turbulent childhood and offered solitude for her to read and learn. Her intimate awareness of death was a massive influence on her writing.

Research Part 2

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