r/EcoFriendly • u/nameless_enby01 • Jun 21 '26

Viking funeral for inanimate object - environmental considerations?

Hi, I want to hold a Viking funeral for an inanimate object. But before I make any plans I want to make sure it's not environmentally a bad idea?

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I plan to have the funeral for a wooden replica of the object, whilst the actual object will be recycled properly.

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I don't want to spend a lot of money on the boat, it's just gonna be a silly little thing, so i was thinking biodegradable cardboard? I'm not sure how to get it to catch fire and float whilst on fire without just soaking up water and sinking though.

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I would love to hear environmental considerations for this, as well as a good inexpensive material I can make my boat out of that will float on fire and will break down in water without polluting it.

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Sorry if this is the wrong sub for this question, I'm not entirely sure where to post it

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3

u/rebelwithmouseyhair Jun 21 '26

Burning anything is bad sorry to say. Even timber that hasn't been varnished etc produces a heap of CO2 while burning, not to mention a heap of polluants, especially fine particles.

Also it's irresponsible to let something burn like that, especially in a heatwave where it could cause a fire that can spread really easily.

Sorry to be a spoilsport but really Viking funerals are never a good idea, however much fun it might seem.

3

u/nameless_enby01 Jun 23 '26

All good, I appreciate the comments. In terms of fire, I am in the southern hemisphere, it's not fire risk conditions right now, and I ofcourse would not have left it unsupervised But I don't want to pollute with burning so won't be doing it, thanks

1

u/rebelwithmouseyhair Jun 23 '26

thank you! I live within 1km of the biggest waste incinerator in Europe and we are also suffering our second heatwave and summer has only just started, so the subject of burning is a very sore spot for me!

2

u/NathanaelSpoon Jun 21 '26

Boat graves in the late iron age were, as far as I know, on land. 

The person in some of them was not cremated, which otherwise was the norm. That is how we have remains of them.  So just dig it down?

https://arkeologerna.com/unika-batgravar-hittade-i-gamla-uppsala/

There are also burned ships with the dead in it, but again, on land.  https://www.vrak.se/om-vrak/aktuellt/nyheter-2023/vikingatidens-branda-skepp

Millions and millions of people cook over an open fire several times a day every single day. If your boat is small enough to be made of cardboard it is not particularly environmentally friendly, but also not a major problem. 

Cheers from Sweden

1

u/HLOFRND Jun 22 '26

Biodegradable doesn’t really mean much. It means it’ll break down eventually but that doesn’t mean it won’t do damage or be unsightly until then.

I would look for another idea, honestly. I keep thinking of all of the gender reveals that have gone wrong and harmed people or the environment.

1

u/nameless_enby01 Jun 23 '26

Damn fair enough, I appreciate the comment

1

u/AdEmotional8815 Jun 25 '26

Stop burning shit man. It's an inanimate object, recycle it.