Massachusetts man plans to be buried in "mushroom suit"

WOBURN, Mass. -- For some people, there's a growing interest in "green" burials, and a Massachusetts man is planning to be a pioneer in a type of burial that can't be any greener, CBS Boston reports.

It's called the mushroom burial suit.

"I have a disease called primary progressive aphasia," Dennis told CBS Boston.

The disease means, as Dennis puts it, that he will die sooner rather than later.

"I have trouble walking, eating, everything," Dennis said.

He decided he wants a green burial, to return his body to the soil because he feels cremation pollutes, and a typical burial results in chemicals eventually going into the ground.

He saw a Ted Talk by artist Jae Rhim Lee about her idea for a mushroom burial suit, and realized it was for him.

"Because it protects the planet," he said.

It's a shroud of sorts with mushroom spores sewn in. When someone is buried in one, the theory is that the mushrooms will speed up decomposition and remove toxins.

And no chemicals are used for embalming. Back to nature, indeed. Dennis will be the first one to try it.

"I was a little apprehensive about the mushroom suit," said Maura White, Dennis' wife.

But after a lot of research and discussion, Dennis' family is on-board.

"I told my children he always thought outside the box, and now he literally wants to be buried outside the box," Maura said.

Despite the terrible hand Dennis has been dealt, he's enthusiastic about the idea of being a pioneer. He plans to be buried on a forested piece of land in Maine.

A company has been formed called Coeio to research and create what they're calling the Infinity Mushroom Suit.