According to Capsula Mundi life never stops. This also happens to be its big marketing push, should the project get off the ground.
The company seems to be big on envisioning a different approach to the way we think about death.
It’s a great concept if you’re a big believer in the afterlife or if you just want to contribute something meaningful to the world with your remains.
Designers Anna Citelli and Raoul Bretzel, fuelled by their love of trees, created a biodegradable organic burial pod that turns your remains into a tree growing directly above it.
Prospective buyers have two options: ashes are held in a small egg-like urn; and bodies are placed in an egg-shaped pod.
Go with option two and your body is “encapsulated” in a foetal position to fit within the pod. Resembling something from a sci-fi movie, the pod is just a biodegradable casket, says EarthPorm.com.
Once it’s buried under-ground, a seed is placed directly above it, and so a tree starts growing in its place.
During an interview with Beyond online, Bretzel said the idea came about when he thought how death was left out of the design world.
“Death is often dealt with as a taboo, even though it has a very high environmental impact. Capsula Mundi comes from these reflections,” he said.
With Capsula Mundi, cemeteries will acquire a new look and, instead of the cold grey landscape we see today, they will grow into vibrant woodlands. Picture: YouTube.com
“It has the aim of fundamentally changing the cultural approach to death and to comply with a holistic vision: after dying we’ll still be part of the cycle of life and we should leave behind a positive legacy for our loved ones and for the future of the Earth.”
Don’t get excited just yet...
Unfortunately, the project is still in the concept phase. But there’s another brick wall - it’s illegal to bury someone in this manner in most countries.
If, in the foreseeable future, it does succeed, their goal is to farm cemeteries full of trees, referred to as “memory forests”.
In the meantime if you’re keen to purchase a Capsula Mundi urn, you can buy it on their website.
For those who want all in, the company adds that it takes 10 to 40 years for a tree to grow. The fully grown tree is then cut down and made into a coffin which lasts for a number of days.
You are even welcome to pick your own tree.
“The tree is chosen when the person is alive, relatives and friends look after it when death occurs.
Designers Raoul Bretzel and Anna Citelli. Picture: www.capsulamundi.it
“A cemetery will no longer be full of tombstones and will become a sacred forest,” Capsula Mundi says of the concept on its website.
Do it for the environment
First, the pod is made with plastic derived from organic material and has a low environmental impact.
Second, the carbon footprint is minimal.
Capsula Mundi explains it like this: “At present, to make a coffin, a tree must be cut down. The coffin has a short life cycle and a strong environmental impact.
“A tree takes between 10 and 40 years to reach maturity and the coffin is of use for just three days! We want to plant trees instead of cutting them down.”
* Visit their website for more info: www.capsulamundi.it/en/