A plain pine coffin and eco-friendly cremation are the last acts of Desmond Tutu

https://www.npr.org/2022/01/01/ [login to see] /a-plain-pine-coffin-and-eco-friendly-cremation-are-the-last-acts-of-desmond-tutu
Desmond Tutu, the anti-apartheid leader and Anglican archbishop emeritus, died last Sunday in Cape Town, South Africa. Despite his monumental status, he requested a humble sendoff in a pine coffin without extravagant spending on the services. And in his last act as a champion of the environment, his remains will undergo aquamation, an eco-friendly alternative to traditional cremation.

Tutu's ashes will be interred at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town, the BBC reported Saturday. But before his remains are laid to rest, they must first undergo a process called aquamation.

Scientifically speaking, the process is called alkaline hydrolysis. According to Bio-Response Solutions, an Indiana-based company that specializes in aquamation services, the body undergoes the same process it would as if it were buried in the ground.