Up in smoke or down with worms? older adult environmentalist’s discourse on disposal, dispersal, and (green) burial

Abstract

Environmentalists target their own behaviour choices as part of their identity, including recycling, transportation, and clothing. Based on interviews with older adult environmentalists, we investigate whether their environmentalism extends beyond their lives. That is, do they want to be disposed of or dispersed upon their death? In terms of environmentalism, then, considering the materials involved, including one’s body, how might we explain older adult environmentalists’ thoughts on their own death care? Is there a gap between one’s identity as an environmentalist and one’s anticipated choices about death care? We examine the death care discourse of 20 older adult environmentalists to examine Rumble et al.’s 2014 debate between disposal and dispersal. We conclude that environmental activists maintain their identity as environmental activists through their death care deliberations, but that both the ecological science of burial choices and the knowledge about green burial options is evolving.