Poetree Planter Offers Green Burial Alternative

A fully-grown Poetree memorial. Photo: Margaux Ruyant

It might be a dark subject, but looking on the bright side, the process of death is actually a green one.

When the body decomposes, it eventually becomes the organic matter that surrounds us. The process of traditional burial, on the other hand, isn’t so earth-friendly. Embalmment and wasteful metal caskets can get in the way of the process and require the use of many more material and monetary resources.

Cremation, of course, skips decomposition entirely and allows a person’s ashes to be spread in a beloved place or kept in an urn.

Traditionally, burial and cremation are your only two options, but Margaux Ruyant, a French industrial design student, has thought up a third, which was the winner of the 2011 DSK International School of Design Award. The Poetree is a biodegradable planter that is covered with soil and planted, until it eventually sprouts into a small tree.

Surrounding the planter is an engraved ceramic ring, which would eventually mark the base of the tree memorial. After some initial time of allowing the tree to grow, a loved one’s ashes can be added to the base of the plant, eventually sprouting new life after death.

Of course, there’s always the possibility that your Poetree can die, too. In that case, simply composting the old Poetree and planting it with a new tree will make sure your loved one’s memory lives on forever.

While not yet available for purchase, the Poetree is expected to be on the market within the new few years.

READ: Ways to Green Your Memorial