I have always wondered what it’s like to be a tree. “In my next life, if there is one, I want to be a tree,” I tweeted after a tree walk around UP Diliman. Trees are amazing, aren’t they?
Good news for me then. I can grow into a tree once I’m buried in the ground. Spanish company Urna Bios made their urns available in the Philippines.
So, how the hell will I become a tree with this urn? Unlike the usual urn, Bios urns are made with 100 percent biodegradable materials. The urn is divided into two compartments. The lower portion is where you store the ashes, while the upper capsule is where you plat the seed.
The urn can be used for both human and pet ashes
But why would you want to be a tree when you die?
When we die, we become nothing but memories. While a tombstone is a great reminder of our lives on earth, it’s pretty useless. We are also running out of cemetery space in this world. So, when we let our ashes feed tree, don’t you think it’s a continuation of our purpose in this planet?
If you want to be planted in Philippine soil, please do opt for native species instead of the ones from Bios. As of now, they only offer exotic (and potentially invasive) species like mahogany, fire tree, and acacia. In case you don’t know, planting exotic species in excess may harm the native ecosystem. Hopefully they introduce native species for different environments in the future.
So when I die, burn my body, put it in a Bios urn, and plant a katmon (Dillenia philippinensis) or maybe a banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa) or maybe a dipterocarp species.
I guess I’ll see you in an urban forest then.
Art by Marx Fidel
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