An Idea To Die For

There was an item on BBC radio online today about the idea of using papier-maché coffins to save trees. This is one of the most brilliant and exciting ideas I have heard of in quite some time, for several reasons of which I will expound on a couple here.

Obviously, saving trees is very important to me - perhaps if less trees are needed for coffins, more broad-leafed varieties could be planted to help oxygenate the planet and restore some of the beauty we have so carelessly axed.

Setting aside the ecological benefits, though, my imagination immediately leaps to the wonderful decorative possibilities for papier-maché coffins. Elegant Vetruvian scrolls or Greek key pattern for the classically-minded, the company logo for the business tycoon, perhaps, or photographs of the deceased from birth to the last.

Sailors could have nautical charts pasted over their mortal remains and farmers might have a corn sheaf motif. A romantic might ask for his or her coffin to have a collection of love letters arranged over it whilst a more pragmatic person might choose a plainer effect.

The possibilities are almost limitless, allowing every individual a last opportunity to express personal taste and giving the loved ones of a dear departed person another way to express their admiration and love.

Since I hope to be buried in the sea that is my home I am unlikely to benefit from this idea myself but I still find the whole idea of papier-maché coffins very exciting. Just thought I'd share that thought with you!