Most environmental issues are caused by the living but have you ever considered the environmental impact of death? Alkaline hydrolysis, a greener alternative to burial or flame-based cremation, uses a combination of water and potassium hydroxide to decompose bodies. It doesn’t require burial space, uses 1/12 the energy of traditional cremation and doesn’t produce toxic gases or air pollutants. Motherboard spoke to Terry Regnier at Mayo Clinic to find out more about the process.