What Is a Mushroom Burial Suit? Facts and Process

Published August 20, 2020
mushrooms sheltering each other

The mushroom burial suit gained attention among those who embrace green funerals over traditional funerals. If you're looking for a better burial option, you may want to consider investing in a mushroom burial suit, or rather its new and improved Infinity Burial Suit.

A Mushroom Burial Suit and How It Works

A mushroom burial suit is a biodegradable garment that the deceased wears. The mushroom burial suit is engineered so it neutralizes and eliminates contaminants that may be in the deceased's body. These can range anywhere from pesticides and preservatives to heavy metals.

How The Mushroom Burial Suit Eliminates Toxins

The elimination of harmful chemicals that may be harbored in the deceased's body are eliminated through the process called mycoremediation. According to YourDictionary, mycoremediation is the use of fungi to degrade or sequester contaminants in the environment. In this instance, the fungi are mushrooms.

How Mushrooms Breakdown Harmful Chemicals

In a natural process, the mushroom spores contain within the mushroom burial suit slowly break down the various chemical reactions a decomposing body goes through. The mushroom spores serve as an aid to this process of microorganisms. The mushroom spores in reality digest the corpse and eliminate the toxins in that chemical process.

Actor Luke Perry Interred in Mushroom Burial Suit

The mushroom burial suit is like a jumpsuit seeded with mushroom spores and other helpful microorganisms. In 2019, Newsweek featured an Instagram post made by the late actor Luke Perry's daughter, Sophie. In the post, Sophie revealed her father's decision to be buried in a mushroom suit.

Actor Luke Perry

Jae Rhim Lee Creator of Mushroom Burial Suit

Jae Rhim Lee is the creator of the mushroom burial suit. Since her 2008 creation, she has worked with Daniel Silverstein, renowned zero waste fashion designer. The two perfected her mushroom burial suit design for the latest version known as the Infinity Burial Suit.

Science Behind the Infinity Burial Suit

The science behind the Infinity Burial Suit is much like the original mushroom burial suit. It has a lifetime shelf life. You'll want to store the suit in a cool, dark place. You can receive a free refresh of the bio-mix should you have any concerns about how the suit was stored.

Organic Cotton Body Suit

The newest version has a built-in bio-mix. The suit is organic cotton and seeded with a bio-mix that contains mushroom spores and various microorganisms that aid in the decomposing and neutralizing the chemical toxins in the corpse.

Giving Energy Back to Nature

In addition to the natural decomposition, the byproduct of the body being systematically broken down is rich nutrients that are transferred into the ground. The completeness of the Infinity Burial Suit is how death becomes a natural part of the Earth cycle by nourishing plant life that in turn can sustain various animals.

Environmentally Friendly and Beneficial

The process of a green burial combined with the use of the Infinity Burial Suit fulfills the desires and goals of living and dying in an Earth-friendly manner. In death, those who choose to use the mushroom laced suit become a true component of the Earth.

Cost Effective Mushroom Burial Suit

Like the mushroom burial suit, the Infinity Burial Suit is a drastically less expensive way to have a funeral. Traditional funerals can cost from $6,000 upwards, depending on the type of casket and service the deceased chose when making funeral preparations or preparations chosen by the surviving family.

No Casket Necessary

The need to purchase a casket is eliminated when an Infinity Burial Suit is chosen as the method of burial for a green burial. A cemetery will need to offer green burial plots or permission gained to perform the burial on private land. The deceased's body encased by the Infinity Burial Suit is laid to rest directly into the grave. However, if you desire a biodegradable casket, you can use the two together, although for practical purposes, the casket isn't necessary.

cardboard bio-degradable eco coffin

Mushroom Burial Suit Cost

The cost of the mushroom burial suit was around $1,500. To date, Coeio is in the process of starting production of the new improved version of the suit, the Infinity Burial Suit, with no release date or cost provided.

Suiting Dennis - The Film

Jae Lee was contacted by a terminally ill man named Dennis White who wished to be buried in the Infinity Burial Suit. Subsequently, Lee and her company Coeio made the documentary film of Dennis White's planning and ultimately interment in the Infinity Burial suit.

Controversy Of Traditional Funerals vs Mushroom Burial Suit

The controversy of traditional funerals lies in not just the expense, but damage down to the environment through toxins found in caskets and the embalming fluid. These chemicals eventually leach into the ground and have the possibility of contaminating ground water in some cases. Even though cremation is less contaminating to the environment, it does require fossil fuels to generate enough fire and heat to burn corpses. Green funerals and the mushroom burial suit or newer model, Infinity Burial Suit, offer a more environmentally sound solution.

From a Mushroom Burial Suit to An Infinity Burial Suit

With the original creation of the mushroom burial suit, advancements and improvements have been made. If a green burial is your last wish, you may find this a good alternative to traditional caskets and burials.

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What Is a Mushroom Burial Suit? Facts and Process