5 days ago
REBECCA BAIRD: Rise of natural burials in Dundee puts my favourite taboo topic on the table
Gazing out at the Howff cemetery in Dundee from my office window at Meadowside, it's easy to catch myself thinking about death before my morning coffee.
Maybe I'm just used to my own morbid disposition, but I've always had a curiosity about death, and an interest in how others feel about the great leveller.
So I've probably had (instigated) the 'what do you want to happen to you when you die?' conversation more than most of my peers.
'I want burnt,' comes the lead balloon of a good friend's answer. Simple, classic, effective.
Mum, on the other hand, hates the idea of fire, so she wants buried.
My old flatmate used to say she wanted her remains shot into space, assuming that would be a thing by the time our generation started dying.
A pal from school wants her body donated to science.
Dad says to 'do whatever's cheapest'. Boyfriend ponders the logistics of being buried at sea.
It's a deeply personal decision, and one that provides an intimate insight into the inner workings of a loved one's mind.
For me, I've always said: 'When I die, I want to be a tree.'
And it seems I'm not alone in that.
This week, The Courier reported that demand for natural burials is on the up in Tayside.
These tend to be burials which forego headstones in favour of natural markers like trees or wildflowers.
Instead of traditional cemeteries with rows of tended graves, the result is often a wood or meadow, like at Birkhill or CairnBrae.
To me, that sounds like an idyllic final resting place.
As someone who doesn't follow any religion or necessarily believe in an afterlife, I find it comforting to think of returning to the earth and helping new life grow when I'm gone.
There's something more… well, natural about it, to me.
Which brings me to the second reason I believe these burials are growing in popularity – sustainability.
Having been raised on a steady diet of Save The Whales, Stop Global Warming and Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, I can safely say my generation has always been acutely aware of the environmental crises facing our lovely planet.
Natural burials sites boasting biodiverse plants and trees are clearly more eco-friendly than expanses of manicured lawns and fake flowers, or indeed the carbon emissions of a crem.
But there's also the bodies and the coffins to consider.
Unlike traditional burials, natural ones often skip the embalming stage and the plush wooden coffins, opting instead for biodegradable wicker caskets which support decomposition.
Call me grim, but I think there's something lovely about the idea of softly rotting away and leaving no trace.
We humans are so determined to leave our marks on the world, but what if the best legacy is leaving the place blooming a little more than it was before?
Of course, natural burials are still fairly new, and there are limited sites which offer them around Dundee at the moment.
A significant pivot towards these would change the way undertakers and funeral directors operate, and it's probably best that the shift is gradual enough to account for that.
But as I look into the future, it seems to me that natural burials are the inevitable way forward as our cultural attitudes towards death shift and change.
Fancy mausoleums, grand headstones and elaborate funerals used to be the markers of high wealth and status. Then they became standard.
Now, they are becoming unaffordable for many again. I have to wonder, what's the point? As my granny used to say, you cannae take it with you.
Natural burials aren't free, but a tree costs a lot less than a gravestone.
When my time comes – hopefully a long time from now – just pop me in a wicker basket and plant me a weeping willow, if you please.
Or don't. What do I care? I'll be somewhere else.
