Scattering the cremains of a loved one can be a traditional and moving way to say farewell, but is not as simple and clean as the phrase “scattering ashes,” implies. In fact, thanks partially to inaccurate portrayals in the media, most people don’t really understand what it takes to dispose of cremated remains. If done incorrectly, rather than a moving farewell ceremony, scattering the ashes (which aren’t even really ashes) of your loved one can be an emotionally draining and unpleasant experience. To ensure that the ceremony goes well, instead of merely choosing a spot and attempting to throw the ashes to the wind, cast them carefully downwind, pour them or place the scattering urn into a trench, rake them into loose soil (as at a scattering garden), or release them from a boat or plane. Plan ahead for your ceremony and be sure to check with local authorities, such as park rangers, to make sure that it is legal to scatter ashes in the location you’ve chosen, as cremation and scattering laws vary from state to state and municipality to municipality.

Today, more and more consumers want to make sure that their last action before they leave this mortal world does not contribute to the pollution of the earth. Choosing cremation and a biodegradable urn is one way to ensure that when you decide what to do with the cremains of your loved one or pet, the choice will be green. The increase of environmental options mandates the need for consumer education regarding environmentally sound funeral and cremation choices. Biodegradable urns consume fewer resources than both traditional caskets and vaults, break down into environmentally benign components (in fact creating good compost), and can be designed specifically to replace biomass by embedding seeds in the walls of the urn. Because the materials used to fabricate biodegradable urns are required by definition to break down, they tend to be less expensive than the precious metals, rare stones, and rich woods of standard urns, reducing the overall price of the urn.