“I think it’s poetic”: The internet is freaking out over an eco-friendly mushroom casket burial

Funeral practices in America have changed considerably over the past few generations. While they may have included mushrooms, they likely didn't include mushroom caskets.

In the early 1800s, most funeral preparations were carried out in the home by the family of the deceased. By the late 1800s, the job of preparing the deceased was moved out of the home and into the hands of professional undertakers. In the decades since, after-death care has involved everything from embalming to the preparation of a closed casket to cremation, which is now preferred by a majority of Americans.

But what if there was another option? That’s what the internet is talking about after a video about a mushroom casket went viral.

What are mushroom caskets?

In his viral video, TikTok user Jacob Simon (@jacobsimonsays) introduces viewers to the idea of a casket made from mycelium and hemp instead of wood.

“Instead of a traditional hardwood casket and embalming chemicals, this pillowy white container, called the ‘Loop Living Cocoon,’ grows in a week and biodegrades after about 45 days to actually enrich and improve the soil,” the TikToker explains. “Flowers planted above Mark's resting place will grow into a garden that he becomes a part of, offering a beautiful, full-circle remembrance while nourishing the land.”

The ‘Mark’ that the TikToker is referring to is Mark Ancker, who was recently the first person to be buried in one of biotech startup Loop’s Living Cocoons. The company has already found success in Europe, where it has sold over 2,500 Living Cocoons, per Fast Company. However, this was their first American burial—and, according to Mark’s daughter, Marsya Ancker-Robert, it was a beautiful success.

“It was dignified, and beautiful,” Ancker-Robert stated. “I have confidence that my dad will be fully part of the garden by winter.”

@jacobsimonsays Is this just weird or is it a better future for funerals? ????  Marsya honored her father’s wishes to have a natural burial by bringing @Loop Biotech ♬ original sound - Jacob Simon | good news ????????????

TikTok creator says reception makes clear people "want to give back"

In an email to the Daily Dot, the TikToker said they first came across the concept in outlets like Fast Company and Ecowatch.

“I quickly realized this is a story I didn't know much about but challenges my understanding of what a burial could and should be, and thus I felt compelled to tell this story in my own words for my community and the wider world,” Simon explained.

“Getting buried in a mushroom casket in your backyard is the type of thing that seems strange at first, but the more you think about it, the more sense it makes,” Simon continued. “Everything we ever consume, buy, or use comes from Earth, so why shouldn't we become a part of the land again once we've moved on? I think it's poetic and beautiful to imagine enriching the soil and growing into flowers or a tree once we've passed away, instead of lying in a box full of chemicals forever. A flourishing garden feels like a great way to remember a loved one as well. It challenges our cultural thinking of nature being different from humans, instead of realizing we really are a part of nature.”

“This is just the type of story that makes you stop out of curiosity & wonder, yet leave reimagining the way things should be done,” he added. “Every day people are taking a look at how we currently operate as a society, and thinking up amazing ways the future can be better. This is a perfect example of realizing something can be better, and going out to build that solution to prove it. Burials are a deeply emotional, cultural, and religious institution, yet green burials could offer a new and interesting variation that upholds tradition with a futuristic and improved twist.

The reception of the video taught him something

“Reading the reception to my video, it's clear so many people are craving natural burials. Despite a little fear around haunting, and specific mushroom fear thanks to The Last of Us, the majority of commenters don't actually think the concept is strange or ‘out there,’ and instead truly seem to want to give back to the Earth once our time has come,” Simon wrote.

“I genuinely think that most people want to live, and die, in a way that respects and improves our wonderful planet,” he noted. “With the incredible intelligence of human beings combined with shifting cultural conversations, we can continue to implement systemic change and make the world a little more ‘solarpunk.’ We all want to leave this planet better than we found it and enable future generations to thrive. Perhaps this, and stories like these, can help get us there.”

Eco-friendly burials in the current culture

Green burials are becoming a more popular option for those who wish to forgo the traditional casket burial. As noted by Fast Company, the total number of green burial cemeteries in the U.S. has quadrupled over the past decade, and there’s a growing interest in cemeteries with sustainable end-of-life options. There have also been efforts put in place to ensure such burials do not hurt surrounding soil or waterways.

Additionally, there have recently been some green burials of celebrities. For example, Riverdale star Luke Perry was buried in what his daughter described as a “mushroom suit.”

The internet seems pretty excited by this idea.

“I wonder if future cemeteries will look like gardens,” wrote one user under Simon’s video. “I think that's a place I'd want to be buried in.”

“This is what death always was supposed to be, natural. But death has become expensive and also isolating,” added another. “Death is not supposed to be a bad thing we all dread. It’s a known cycle of life that should be celebrated.”

We’ve also reached out to Loop via email.

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