Having recently celebrated reaching a quarter of a century on earth, I have been contemplating life and that it will, inevitably, end. But what if there was a way to ensure that you could create new life, even in death? It’s this idea that has created my fascination around a newly launched South African company called Biotree.earth.

While this topic may be altogether too morbid for some, this business’s products means we have the chance to give back to earth even after we leave it.  We now have the opportunity to become a tree that gives our earth precious oxygen and creates some much needed beauty in this world. Biotree has created 100% biodegradable cremation urns for humans and animals, which will allow us to memorialise our loved ones and furbabies in a beautiful way, while also improving our environment.

Each urn comes with three species of tree seeds and the buyer can then select which seed they’d like to plant.Half the urn is for the seed, and the other half is filled with the ashes of the deceased before planting. This company is all about change and bettering our environment while additionally contributing to charities and other good causes along the way, and I’m all for it.  The idea of my grandchildren one day sitting under my lush green branches is far more appealing than them visiting an engraved tombstone.

The South African burial industry – and the global one at that – is facing some staunch issues at present. According to Biotree we’ve had a massive increase in the need for burial space locally and many other countries are facing similar issues because of ever- and rapidly-increasing populations. This has created a desperate need for an alternative that addresses cultural needs, honours lives lived and gives families somewhere to memorialise loved ones. These urns are that alternative.

By purchasing a Biotree.earth urn you will start the first wave in a ripple effect of change and positivity. With each urn purchased the company donates an additional tree to Greenpop, an organisation fighting deforestation and with an urn for humans Biotree has included bracelets bought from The Bead Coalition. Most importantly, you are making a conscious choice to better the earth you were lucky enough to walk and explore in your life.

As the great Astronomer Carl Sagan once said “We are made of star stuff” and I can’t think of a more perfect way to give back to the universe than to become a life-giving tree.