berylblue:
Just because I'm finally voicing my opinions after being a people-pleasing wimp for so long does not mean I'm a bad person.
Agreed, I applaud you for it - as I mentioned in the other thread. Keep voicing them but be prepared to have them challenged.
If I want to be cremated, that hardly makes me a self-absorbed person lacking in common decency.
Of course not. But your "Piss on the environment" comment does potentially nudge you towards that category.
I am considerate of others to a fault; I curtail my use of energy NOW in ways others would call crazy
Good. Keep doing that.
and I'll be damned if I have to put aside the one thing for which I ask in order to save the earth ---- and I'm not convinced that it makes a big difference one way or the other.
There's probably not much you or I can do that will make a big difference. Your switch to energy-saving lightbulbs (for example) won't delay the icecaps melting by a single millisecond - but if we all do what we can, the accumulated difference may matter. But if you do care about the planet and the people who will have to live on it once you are gone (many many years in the future I hope), I'm not sure what advantage cremation could provide for you (who will, after all, be dead) that outweighs the disadvantage of incinerating 100lbs or more of potential fertiliser. Instead of your remains potentially bringing forth new life, they will just add to the destruction.
If you do still feel the need to get cremated, maybe you could leave something in your will for carbon credits to offset the damage.
What do YOU do NOW - while ALIVE - to help out?
Mostly I just live a lower-impact life than most. I walk or cycle most places, or use public transport for longer distances. I don't eat meat, I buy locally and/or organic where possible, I avoid disposable products, I recycle or compost the vast majority of waste I produce, I don't flush after urinating (unless I'm dehydrated!) and I donate to environmental charities (at least occasionally).
And sometimes I go a day or two without showering!
(I may have to purchase smugness credits to offset this post )