Video: Woburn Man Becomes First Adopter of Mushroom Burial Suit

WOBURN, MA—The idea of "green burials" is becoming more widely accepted across the country, with the Washington Post citing that 43 percent of respondents to a survey would consider having an eco-friendly burial.

One Woburn man has gone beyond consideration already made his decision. According to Coeio, the company that makes the product, Woburn resident Dennis White has decided to be buried in a mushroom burial suit. Dennis became the first early adopter of the suit.

Filmmaker Grace Kelly made a short documentary film about the burial process. 

Dennis, a 63-year-old carpenter, suffers from primary progressive aphasia. According to the Mayo Clinic, the disease is a rare nervous system syndrome that affects the ability to communicate.

He wrote the company an email expressing his interest in the suit after watching a TED talk, which described the benefits of the suit.

"It IS the future of burial in the US as well as the rest of the planet!," White wrote to the company."And yours will clean the toxins as well. I'm impressed."

According to the company's website, the suit uses two different types of mushrooms—edible and mycorrhizal—to eliminate toxins that are released from the body. The mushrooms also help deliver nutrients to surrounding plant roots.

You can learn more about the suit here.