It’s the first Italian project created to promote the realization of green cemeteries in Italy, Capsula Mundi is a container with an old perfect shape, just like an egg, made with modern material -starch plastic- in which the dead body is put in a fetal position.

Capsula Mundi is planted like a seed in the soil, and a tree is planted on top of it.

The tree is chosen when the person is alive, relatives and friends look after it when death occurs.

A cemetery will no longer be full of tombstones and will become a sacred forest.

Diagram of the concept

The capsule is made from a starch plastic which is 100% biodegradable.

The body is seated in the fetal position within the biodegradable pod and buried in the ground.

Lie a coffin, these egg-shaped pods are designed to each house a deceased human body for burial.

The capsule would then be planted in soil like a seed.

From there, a tree is planted above it, allowing its roots to soak nutrients and grow.

Ana Citelli and Raoul Bretzel, the duo behind Capsula Mundi, explain: “The tree is chosen when the person is alive, relatives and friends look after it when death occurs.”

Teh appeal of these burial pods is that the human body can not only serve as a source of life, but also provide an organic for for living loved ones to visit.

Here’s the process.

Once the pods and trees are planted, it creates a “memory forest.”

Your loved ones would then be able to take care of your tree.

On display at Jaffa, Israel.

Though an Italian company introduced this innovative method, the burial procedure is currently banned in Italy. Citelli and Bretzel are working to change burial legislation to allow people to have more alternative options.

You can read more about Capsula Mundi’s initiative on its website and follow their progress on Facebook.

Reference: The Open Mind