Dying sucks, but the impact of the way we dispose of dead people sucks too. Right now, most dead bodies fit into two categories. A lot of them get cremated. When that happens, all the stored toxins in their body enter the atmosphere. That includes an average of 5,000 lbs of mercury each year from our dental fillings. The rest of the people get buried. While some religions and cultures opt for a natural burial, western society likes to pump corpses full of formaldehyde and other goodies that leech into the earth. So, what’s the solution? According to designer Jae Rhim Lee, it’s mushrooms.
Lee has designed a suit that is designed to let mushrooms eat your body, cleaning it of toxins, and then convert it into usable compost. Thankfully, she’s taken to calling the garment an “infinity suit.” That has as a much better ring to it than “man eating mushroom pants.”
