“Reef Balls” Help You Save the Environment After You Die
October 29, 2008
Today’s environmentally-conscious people are thinking of ways to stay green even after they’re gone.
Eternal Reefs is putting a new spin on the at-sea burial by offering an environmentally-friendly alternative to cremation and traditional cemetery burials.
The company offers a way to have a memorial and help out the environment at the same time, by creating a memorial reef that contains the ashes of the deceased.
The memorial reefs are known as “reef balls.” They are constructed by mixing cremated remains with liquid concrete, which is put into mold in order to create the reef ball.
The reef ball is placed alongside other reef balls to create an artificial reef that provides a habitat for sea life.
Within a few weeks, marine life will begin to take hold in the artificial reef, which will look like a natural reef within a few months. It creates a living legacy that is a unique way to memorialize someone who has passed.
The memorial reef offers a unique option to traditional cremation urns and cemetery burials, which can have negative impacts on the environment.
The artificial reefs actually help rebuild the ocean’s ecosystem, allowing life to flourish.
Eternal Reefs will provide you with the exact latitude and longitude of where the reef is placed so you can visit by boat or scuba dive to the memorial.
The memorials are placed along the East Coast of the U.S. The cost of a memorial reef ball ranges from $2,495 and $6,495, not including the cost of cremation. Eternal Reefs also offers memorial reefs for pets.
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Now that is pretty damn awesome. I’d like to be a reef, one day.
That’s beautiful
Beautiful in a Soylent “Greenish” Way
That neat and interesting. And idk much about cost of burials or anything, but the reef balls things a bit expensive just me.
i live in hawaii, so i think ill definately do this.
Don’t go there. please.
Thank you for the post! Everyone involved with Eternal Reefs likes working with the families, and when people see what these memorial reefs develop into they know that they made the right decision. These are incredible environmental contributions that will benefit future generations. THey are a great way to help preserve, protect and enhance our marine environment.
a mi que no me metan ahi! jeje
That will be important to save these creatures, good idea. Hope they will work. I do not want our afterworld to see a bare seabed
I don’t think I see the point of mixing the remains with the concrete. Couldn’t you just donate money to make a reef ball now, without waiting until you dies to have it made and put at sea?
sounds good, but can I do it without the cremation part…have like and arm or leg sticking out…would privide some food too. even more helpful to the hungry fishes.
would love to do this but would like to be placed off the coast where i live. I know if this were possible there would be tremendous interest here in the carolinas. Possibly send a truck up every couple of months with several reef pods to save on fuel. If you need someone here on this end to open up a local office, let me know. I live in Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach.
I found this quite by accident when I was searching for something for my reef tank about 10 years or so ago! I decided then, this is absolutely what I was going to do. I even have it in my Will and my son has all the information (+video) on this that I had received way back when.
GREAT idea!
Victor Song, Did you (or anyone else) have a bad experience with this method of burial?