Green burial is becoming increasingly popular in Hong Kong as people look for a more environmentally friendly and sustainable way to handle the ashes of their loved ones. An academic said the trend could mean less demand for public columbariums and niches, which would have a positive impact on Hong Kong. Figures from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department showed that the number of green burials in Hong Kong almost tripled in the past decade, to 9,381 last year from 3,400 in 2013. Green burial refers to scattering the ashes of your loved ones in gardens of remembrance or at designated waters. Leo, a Hongkonger who now lives in Australia, scattered the ashes of his father at sea in accordance with his wishes. "He loved to travel... and I feel that he could enjoy his freedoms in the sea after his death," Leo said. He added that sea burial brought him closer to his father. "Because he's already in the sea, I can look out at the sea and feel like I'm talking to him wherever he goes. I imagine he's with me in Australia. I can say 'Hello, how are you?' to him anytime." Katherine, meanwhile, chose a different final resting place for her mother, whose ashes were scattered at a garden of remembrance at Diamond Hill. Katherine said that symbolised a sense of comfort and freedom for her mother. "If they scatter the ashes in the garden, it's like return to the nature and close to ground and close to us... that's where they land and where they choose, and they feel comfortable. "In some way, they feel like a bit of free up after their death." Katherine, who now lives in Australia, said she likes to see more flexibility in funeral arrangements in Hong Kong. "Actually, it's very common in Australia for green burial... There are many choices... A lot of people feel if they scatter their ashes on a garden, and then they grow a tree of some sort, and they feel very romantic and like an extension of life. They choose where they want to finish. And so it's pretty flexible in Australia." Amy Chow, a professor of social work at the University of Hong Kong, said people have opted for green burial as they become more aware of the environment. "Because of the traditional belief, if you put your essentials in a cemetery, most of the time when you worship, you will burn paper offerings, you will burn incense. And this is also not good for the environment. But if you scatter the ashes in the nature, you just like, you just need to look up to the sky and say your prayers in your heart, and it won't cause anything to the environment," she said. Chow hopes that with more burial options available, there will be less demand for public columbariums and niches and the city can make better use of our land. She believes the trend of green burial will continue to grow. “If there are more choices, I do think it will diversify the choices and then the number demanding traditional way will be reduced... Actually in the free market, Hong Kong people are still having a lot of choices, like they can turn the ashes into diamond, into artwork, into glassware. And also they may bring it to this space through private service, via, you know, Nasa.”
