Thursday, March 1, 2012

Will Memorial Urns Be a Norm of the Future?

By Sachin Kumar Airan


There is still a lot of debate carried out today about the environmental impact brought on by the traditional burial. Many people are not aware or perhaps choose not to be aware of the aftermaths of the traditional burial. This is probably because burial has been an aged-old norm that was carried out due to the various spiritual and cultural reasons. However said, people's mindset can be changed once they have the realization of what it does to the future of our environment.

Although burial is deemed to be a respectful way to lay a dearly departed to rest, it is not without its consequences. Burial puts materials, sometimes toxic materials, into the ground that seep into the local water system and the surrounding eco-system. In order to pay respect to the dead while at the same preserving the environment for the living and future generations, cremation is becoming a growing practice. With cremation, there is also a growing need for human urns to store the ashes.

Changing perspective about cremation has created another market in respect of the dead. It is no more a wonder to see a person shopping for a keepsake urn or other types of human urns which may include the baby urns. At the end of the day, they are actually taking up a new way to memorialize their beloved who had passed away. It is a new and wonderful way to keep their loved ones close at home or to share a bit of them with other members of the family.

Human urns are available in various shapes and sizes and can be made from wood, glass, pewter, porcelain, ceramic, brass, copper or even gold if you have the finances to do it. A keepsake urn is usually a smaller version of the traditional cremation urns while a baby urn is small in size combined with themes relevant to a child. It is never easy to plan a funeral for a loved one who has just passed on. Despite the emotional pressures, there is still the need to pick out the right cremation urn that befits the memories of the departed.

The first step is always to identify the purpose of the cremation urn. Whether it is intended to be kept at home, at the columbarium, buried or the ashes scattered, your decision pretty much relies on it and so does the type of material, size, shape and designs. Of course, one should never forget the cost involved too!

With environmental advocates persistently educating the general population on minimizing their carbon footprints and looking for eco-friendly alternatives such as cremation in the case of honoring the departed, human urns will soon become a norm of the future.




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