8 Unconventional Ways to be Buried

Space Burial: launches a small part of the cremated ashes into space

Space burial is a burial procedure in which a small sample of the cremated ashes of the deceased are placed in a capsule the size of a tube of lipstick and are launched into space using a rocket. The first space burial was launched on April 21, 1997.

Eternal Reefs: creates a reef ball from the ashes of your loved one

A reef ball is a steel sphere. A person's cremated remains are placed inside the reef ball and sealed after which the ball is placed into the ocean, to eventually become part of a living reef. This option replaces cremation urns and ash scattering with a permanent environmental living legacy.

LifeGem: transforms the carbon of human remains into a diamond

LifeGem offers a high-quality diamond created from the
carbon of your loved one as a memorial to their unique life, or as a symbol of your personal and precious bond with another. Whether you've lost a loved one, the LifeGem diamond provides a way to embrace your loved one's memory day by day.

Ecological burial: transforms the corpse into an organic powder

Promessa developes and offers a new method of laying the dead to rest. An environmentally friendly form of burial. The main principle of this ecological form of burial is that the corpse is transformed into an organic, odorless, hygienic powder. This, in combination with a dedicated method to separate contaminants such as mercury, sharply reduces impact on the environment.

Heavens Above Fireworks: incorporates cremation ashes into fireworks

Heavens Above Fireworks modifies a number of unique fireworks to incorporate cremation ashes, allowing for a spectacular memorial event and happier farewell.

Alkaline Hydrolisis: turns the body into a brownish liquid

With this method bodies get dissolved in lye and turned into a brownish, coffee-colored syrupy residue, in what is clearly a very environmentally friendly technique. The liquid has the texture of motor oil and spreads a strong ammonia (urine-like) smell, but it is sterile and can be poured down the drain. At the moment, only two U.S. medical centers (the University of Florida in Gainesville and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota) employ this technique on human bodies.

Carbon Copies: transforms the carbon of human cremains in pencils

This is a 240 pencil set made from the carbon of a cremated human. Each pencil is foil stamped with the name of the deceased. Only one pencil can be removed at a time, it is then sharpened back into the box causing the sharpenings to occupy the space of the used pencils. Over time the pencil box fills with sharpenings - a new ash, transforming it into an urn. The window acts as a timeline, showing you the amount of pencils left as time goes by.

Ashes to Portraits: transforms the ashes of your loved one into a portrait

Using some of your loved one's ashes combined with a very special mixture involving oil paint, the company has a professional artist create a one-of-a-kind portrait that will not only be a beautiful remembrance that will live on for many generations, but it will also help with your feelings of loss.