Today is my dad’s birthday. He would have been 87 years old if he hadn’t died this year in May. My dad was “buried” in a mausoleum, a practice that saves land space. I was just there yesterday with my mom and sister and we were all commenting on how much nicer it is to visit him in the covered outdoor space instead of having to go tromp to a grave, especially when it’s raining, like it was yesterday.
Though mausoleums help the environment, my dad was still embalmed, and that’s not such a "green" practice. Had he been cremated it wouldn’t have been much better, since that wastes a lot of energy and fossil fuels.
For those interested in eco-friendly ways to consider burial, for yourself or a loved one, here’s a great web site to look at the facts and some options.
Also, in 2005 the writer Tad Friend wrote an interesting piece about a man named Tyler Cassity and Fernwood, his eco-friendly burial business. It’s just the abstract—the New Yorker doesn’t make their archives easily available—but maybe you can do better at finding the piece in its entirety.
Left is a picture of him when he was already pretty sick. He's posing with my sister Anita.
Happy birthday, Ralph Spinelli. You were and are a sweet and lovely father. I miss you lots.
And Yea for Blog Action Day!
