Instead Of Burying You, This Company Will Do Something Infinitely More Strange

Italian designers Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel recently introduced a new burial technique with the potential to change the world. They call it the Capsula Mundi project, and it’s a shockingly simple concept.

Rather than burying dead bodies in wooden boxes in the ground, bodies are placed in a biodegradable sack like the ones below.

The sack is then buried in the ground, with a tree planted above.

The premise is that as the tree grows, it will use the nutrients produced by the human body as it decomposes. The designers wish for cemeteries to eventually look more like forests.

Here’s a diagram of the whole process.

At the moment, a law in Italy doesn’t allow for Citelli and Bretzel’s vision. According to Italian law, coffins can only be made from wood. However, the pair is gaining public support for their mission and working with officials to have the law changed.

(via aplus)

The concept of becoming a tree when you die is admittedly pretty cool. It’s at least much cooler (I think) than rotting in the ground for eternity. I hope the two manage to make this work in Italy, and that the United States isn’t far behind.

You can learn more about the Capsula Mundi project here.

Instead Of Burying You, This Company Will Do Something Infinitely More Strange