Promession: After death, the body is frozen then dipped in liquid nitrogen. The body is then shaken into dust, then the water is evaporated away. The organic powder that remains does not decompose when kept dry, but can be returned to the earth as compost.
supposedly it’s more natural and energy-efficient than cremation. I don’t think there’s anyplace in the U.S. that does it yet though. (It was started in Sweden.)
links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Promession
http://dethroner.com/2007/04/11/promession-composting-the-dead
August 29th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Stiff, by Mary Roach. A quick read by a funny and insightful writer about the process of death and lots of strange stories about cadavers. She also addresses this topic.
September 23rd, 2008 at 5:08 pm
They practice this in Sweden!
Stiff is incredible, I can loan it to ya if you’d like.