The number of people opting for cremation over traditional burial may be on the rise across the United States, but nowhere is the trend more evident than in Florida.

Since 1958, the cremation rate in North America has risen from approximately 5 percent to nearly 35 percent. According to projections by the Cremation Association of North America (CANA), cremations will lead across the country by 2025. But in Lee County, Florida alone, cremations accounted for 64 percent of final arrangements made in 2008, almost twice the number of burials and entombments combined.

Economy, ecology, and geography fuel cremation trend
In addition to the reasons commonly cited for choosing cremation – such as lower costs, environmental concerns, and religious customs, for example – Florida’s geography may also contribute to the Sunshine State’s increasing cremation rate. Funeral directors say that people who relocate to sunny coastal areas often leave behind their social networks; without friends and family nearby, traditional burial in a traditional cemetery doesn’t have the significance it might have in one’s hometown.

Florida also offers some unique alternatives for the final disposition of cremains, rather than placing a stationary cremation urn in a columbarium niche or on a library shelf. For the adventurous, Celestis, Inc., a Houston-based company, will handle cremation arrangements and send the cremated remains into space via private-industry satellites launched from the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral. Water lovers and those who are looking for an environmentally friendly alternative to burial, on the other hand, can have their ashes buried in artificial coral reefs in the ocean floor.

Florida is also the original home of the Neptune Society, an organization that assists people in planning their cremations in advance. Founded in Fort Lauderdale in 1973, the Neptune Society now has offices in 45 locations throughout the country.

Baby boomers, many of whom are now retiring to Florida, also contribute to the growing support for cremation in Florida and elsewhere. According to Silvia Marchini, a sales manager for the Neptune Society in Fort Myers, boomers are “not as traditional” as their parents were.

And then there’s the downside – Hong Kong is crowded. At roughly 6,700 people per square mile, Hong Kong’s population density ranks third in the world. Hong Kong is so crowded, diners share tables in restaurants. So crowded, pedestrians seem to move in unison, streaming through the city like a giant river. So crowded, even the dead can’t find a place to rest.

Just to clarify, we’re not talking about traditional burials; Hong Kong moved away from in-ground burials long ago (although traditional burial is still an option in some cases – more on that later). No, we’re talking about cremated remains and the fact that Hong Kong is so crowded, securing a resting place for a cremation urn bearing a loved one’s ashes can take years.

Racing to meet demand
The magnitude of the problem was underscored on April 14. That’s the day the Hong Kong government began accepting applications for space in the nine-story Diamond Hill Columbarium, which houses 18,500 new niches. The response? Nearly 1,000 people stood in line outside the columbarium’s office on the first day of sales to submit their applications for the largest release of new niches in nearly a decade.

Trends indicate that the space crunch won’t end any time soon. The city’s annual death rate has doubled since 1970, and the entire funeral industry is scrambling to cope with the demand for services; 9,500 people are currently on the waiting list for a niche. And while the government has announced plans to open 37,000 new niches by 2012, that’s scarcely enough to accommodate the people who die in one year. Officials estimate that by 2016, there will only be niches for half the people who die each year.

A temporary solution to a permanent problem
Oh, and about that burial option we mentioned earlier? Only the wealthy need apply. Demand for burial space, what with the ongoing land shortage and rapidly aging population, has driven the price of a permanent plot to $30,000 or more. Or, a family can rent a temporary plot from the government for around $3,000 for 10 years. When the 10 years are up, the family can renew for 10 more . . . or not. If the family doesn’t renew, the remains will be exhumed and the plot yielded to someone else.

No word on what happens to the exhumed remains.

The answer? An innovative robotic retrieval system. At several locations throughout Japan, Nichiryoku maintains unique columbarium featuring underground vaults for storage of cremated remains. Family members who wish to pay their respects use a radio-frequency identification (RFID) key to locate their loved one’s remains and dispatch them to a private viewing area. From start to finish, the process takes only about 60 seconds. (Think about calling up your favorite tune on a jukebox, and you’ve got the idea.)

The Nichiryoku system features several advantages for family members:

• Worry-free maintenance. Nichiryoku staff members maintain the site, including regular placement of fresh flowers.
• Affordable cost, with an initial fee of $6,500 for the memorial and space in the vault, and an annual maintenance fee of $100. (After 3 missed payments, cremains are moved to a communal grave.)
• Webcam access. Friends and family can view the memorial stone from anywhere in the world simply by logging in.
• Security. Buildings are fortified and earthquake proof.
• Multi-denominational support, with accommodations for all religious beliefs and practices.

The storage runs 650,000 yen (about $6500 USD) for base payment for the stone memorial, and your spot in the columbarium. There are other options too, flower types, music etc. This does not include the price of a memorial or cremation service.