Earlier this week a story in the Wisconsin State Journal caught my eye, Cremation now more popular than burial, state report says (no apparent link on-line). Given my legal focus, I read on. According to the reporter, in 2002 sixty-two percent of people in Wisconsin were buried, compared to twenty-nine percent selecting cremation. Fast forward to 2011 and the rates flip, 46.9 of Wisconsinites who died opted for cremation and 45.8 percent used traditional burial. Click here for a link to the Wisconsin Death Report.
Why the change? The article attributes an increased interested in cremation to its lower cost, and perception that it is the more environmentally friendly approach. Upon reading this I immediately wondered why the reporter had not mentioned green burials, which have a much lower carbon footprint than either cremation or burial?
The article close with another interesting statistic -- in 2011 the two leading causes of deaths in Wisconsin were heart disease and cancer. Combined they made up 47 percent of all deaths that year! Which was yet another reminder of how important it is for me, as an individual, to tend to my health. Stay active, eat healthy foods, offset the stress.
And so I'd like to close this week with a link to a tasty and very healthy favorite recipe of mine. It is for a Greek Stew that is perfect for winter meals. I've blogged about it on my other site, The Frugal Upside. Enjoy, stay well, and I'll be back next week with more thoughts on illness, death and taxes for the middle class.
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