# Eco-Friendly Funerals Green Cremation Saves Trees and Budgets in India By Katie Cordrey | Published 2009-03-22 | Eco Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/eco-friendly-funerals-green-cremation-saves-trees-and-budgets-in-india References: [blog.wired](http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/06/an_environmenta.html) & [ndtv](http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080052287&ch=633545528119122500) Mechanical engineer Vinod Kumar Aggarwal has developed a funeral pyre that makes the traditional Hindu custom of cremation more environmentally friendly. An estimated [50 million trees](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/treesoil) are burned in funeral pyres each year. The resulting waste includes half a million tons of ash and eight million tons of cO2. Aggarwal’s invention cuts the amount of wood used by approximately 95 percent, and the resulting [carbon dioxide emissions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bamboo-biorefinery) by over 60 percent. Because of the reduced wood usage, costs should be fixed rather than fuel dependent. Agarwal is the head of the environmental group Mokshda Green Cremation System based in Delhi. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.0/10 - Popularity: 29% | Activity: 82% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Eco](https://www.trendhunter.com/eco) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Eco-friendly Funeral Pyres:** Innovations that reduce wood usage and carbon emissions in funeral pyres, making cremation more environmentally friendly. - **Sustainable Funeral Practices:** Developing eco-conscious solutions for funeral rituals that reduce waste and carbon emissions. - **Cost-effective Cremation Solutions:** Implementing innovations in cremation technology that reduce wood consumption and offer fixed-cost solutions. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Funeral Services:** The funeral services industry can explore eco-friendly alternatives that reduce carbon emissions and waste in cremation practices. - **Environmental Technology:** The environmental technology industry can develop and market innovative solutions for sustainable funeral practices, including reduced wood usage and carbon emissions in cremation. - **Renewable Energy:** The renewable energy industry can investigate opportunities to integrate sustainable cremation technologies and reduce reliance on traditional wood pyres for cremation. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Sustainable Pooja Products](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kalyanamm.md) - [Biodegradable Burial Caskets](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/loop-biotech.md) - [Eco-Friendly Pet Tree Burial Kits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ecofriendly-pet-tree-burial-kit.md) - [Mycelium-Made Biodegradable Urns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sail-funerary-urn.md) - [3D-Printed Ecological Funeral Reefs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/resting-reefs.md) - [Biodegradable Pet Urns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/paw-pods-1.md) - [Reflective Memorial Architecture](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sanctum-of-trees.md) - [Tree-Covered Vertical Mausoleum](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hollywood-forever-cemetery.md) - [Playable Oak Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/funeral-for-a-tree.md)