You might be thinking what in the world is this woman doing in “a ninja suit” -- and that is exactly how this TED Talk begins. Or you read "mushroom death suit" and were not sure what that meant, well it’s exactly what it sounds like, and it is a morbid topic. But, if you keep listening there’s a lot to learn from this video.

You can learn that humans are filled with environmental toxins, according to Jae Rhim Lee--creator of  the mushroom burial bodysuit aka the Infinity Burial Project.

Apparently, 5,000 lbs. of mercury from dental fillings alone is released into the atmosphere during cremation alone each year. The CDC says humans have 219 chemical toxins in our bodies. And for people working in funeral homes, working with formaldehyde can cause cancer.

According to Lee, this creates a cycle where through the process of human death pollutes the planet, and harms the living.

Jae has a unique solution to this problem, and it’s not just with a "green burial" idea. In her TED Talk, she addresses other green burial methods but says that other green burials don’t fix the problem of pollution from toxins in the human body that are emitted into the atmosphere and earth during the burial process.

So what can fix this?

Mushrooms!

How in the world did Lee figure this all out? At first, she tried creating a new mushroom to decompose the human body. Yeah...did I mention this is a dark topic?

via GIPHY

Creating a new mushroom proved very difficult, so Lee discovered that a lot of the mushrooms humans already eat can digest toxins. So she trained a combination of mushrooms to eat her skin, hair and nails. Then she made a burial suit from those mushroom, which she is wearing in the video and encouraging others to consider investing in when the time comes. 

via GIPHY

She knows it’s weird. Lee says at 3:40 in the video, “so, for some of you this may be really really out there...Just a little.”

So why should you consider this alternative burial option?

Lee discusses society’s nature of denying death by preserving bodies during the burial process. Her mushroom suit is a way to accept human “beings [are] intimately connected to the environment.”

“Once we understand that we are connected to the environment, we see that the survival of our species depends on the survival of the planet. I believe that this is the beginning of true environmental responsibility.”  

Lee goes on to say that the Infinity Burial Project is more than a science project but a “step toward taking responsibility for my burden on the planet.”

Often taboo topics go untalked about, women’s periods, FGM, child marriage, and death. These are issues society considers uncomfortable to discuss and is therefore slow to make progress and change on because many cultures do not address them head-on. The world needs to talk about these issues because it’s the only way to bring about change. This is morbid but, death is one of the few things all of humanity has in common. When it’s not talked about, practices don’t change. And funeral practices are often damaging to the planet.

Practices for funerals cause a lot of environmental damage between greenhouse gas emissions from cremation to toxins from burials underground.

Funerals are increasingly becoming a celebration of life. Even in the worst circumstances there is still the chance to leave the world a better place, and this, admitteldy bizarre, mushroom burial suit just might be one way to do it.

Share your thoughts in the comments below—too creepy or cool idea? 

Ideas

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