Matters of Life and Death
The latest addition to the Urn Garden biodegradable urn collection are cremation urns made from cornstarch.
That’s right, cornstarch! Hand-painted with water-based paints, the urns are designed for a green burial and will not break down until placed in the earth.
This urn is TSA compliant and is packaged in a convenient box for discreet and secure transportation.
An earth friendly option for families is our Salt Urns. Hand-crafted from solid blocks of Himalayan Rock Salt, the salt deposits in the Himalayas are over 250 million years old and believed to be the purest on earth.
Each natural salt urn is unique in both color and finish. When placed in water, our Salt of the Earth urns will dissolve within 4 hours.
As a precious and portable commodity, salt has long been a cornerstone of economies throughout history.
Covenants in both the Old and New Testaments were often sealed with salt: the origin of the word “salvation.” In the Catholic Church, salt is or has been used in a variety of purifying rituals. In fact, until Vatican II, a small taste of salt was placed on a baby’s lip at his or her baptism. Jesus called his disciples “the Salt of the Earth.”
In Buddhist tradition, salt repels evil spirits. That’s why it’s customary to throw salt over your shoulder before entering your house after a funeral: it scares off any evil spirits that may be clinging to your back.
Shinto religion also uses salt to purify an area. Before sumo wrestlers enter the ring for a match – which is actually an elaborate Shinto rite – a handful of salt is thrown into the center to drive off malevolent spirits.
Greetings from the deep blue sea! Every magazine I’ve picked up lately has a “green” theme, and more press releases touting the green burial movement, so we were inspired to amp up the biodegradable urn line.
Naturally, we’re dreaming of somewhere tropical right now, so we started work on the water burial urns.
Articles for families considering spreading ashes on land or sea, or perhaps planning an ash scattering ceremony can be found here.
We’ve noticed heavier traffic for families searching for outdoor themed urns, specifically hunting and fishing. Funeral homes might consider grouping urns by hobbies, interest and style if you aren’t already.
