[Script Info]
Title: 
[Events]
Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.00,0:00:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I'm here to explain
Dialogue: 0,0:00:02.00,0:00:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,why I'm wearing these ninja pajamas.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.00,0:00:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And to do that, I'd like to talk first
Dialogue: 0,0:00:06.00,0:00:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about environmental toxins in our bodies.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:09.00,0:00:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So some of you may know
Dialogue: 0,0:00:11.00,0:00:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,about the chemical Bisphenol A, BPA.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:13.00,0:00:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a material hardener and synthetic estrogen
Dialogue: 0,0:00:16.00,0:00:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that's found in the lining of canned foods
Dialogue: 0,0:00:18.00,0:00:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and some plastics.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:20.00,0:00:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So BPA mimics the body's own hormones
Dialogue: 0,0:00:23.00,0:00:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and causes neurological and reproductive problems.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:26.00,0:00:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And it's everywhere.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:28.00,0:00:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,A recent study found BPA
Dialogue: 0,0:00:30.00,0:00:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in 93 percent of people six and older.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.00,0:00:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But it's just one chemical.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:36.00,0:00:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Center for Disease Control in the U.S.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.00,0:00:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,says we have 219 toxic pollutants in our bodies,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.00,0:00:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and this includes preservatives, pesticides
Dialogue: 0,0:00:46.00,0:00:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and heavy metals like lead and mercury.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:49.00,0:00:51.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,To me, this says three things.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:51.00,0:00:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,First, don't become a cannibal.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.00,0:00:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Second, we are both responsible for and the victims of
Dialogue: 0,0:00:58.00,0:01:00.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our own pollution.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.00,0:01:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And third,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:02.00,0:01:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,our bodies are filters and storehouses
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.00,0:01:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for environmental toxins.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:07.00,0:01:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So what happens to all these toxins when we die?
Dialogue: 0,0:01:10.00,0:01:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The short answer is:
Dialogue: 0,0:01:12.00,0:01:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,They return to the environment in one way or another,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:14.00,0:01:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,continuing the cycle of toxicity.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:16.00,0:01:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But our current funeral practices
Dialogue: 0,0:01:18.00,0:01:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,make the situation much worse.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:20.00,0:01:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If you're cremated,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.00,0:01:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all those toxins I mentioned are released into the atmosphere.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:25.00,0:01:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And this includes 5,000 pounds of mercury
Dialogue: 0,0:01:28.00,0:01:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from our dental fillings alone every year.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.00,0:01:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And in a traditional American funeral,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:34.00,0:01:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a dead body is covered with fillers and cosmetics
Dialogue: 0,0:01:37.00,0:01:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to make it look alive.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:39.00,0:01:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's then pumped with toxic formaldehyde
Dialogue: 0,0:01:42.00,0:01:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to slow decomposition --
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.00,0:01:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a practice which causes respiratory problems and cancer
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.00,0:01:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in funeral personnel.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:50.00,0:01:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So by trying to preserve our dead bodies,
Dialogue: 0,0:01:53.00,0:01:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we deny death, poison the living
Dialogue: 0,0:01:56.00,0:01:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and further harm the environment.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:58.00,0:02:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Green or natural burials, which don't use embalming,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:01.00,0:02:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,are a step in the right direction,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.00,0:02:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,but they don't address the existing toxins in our bodies.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:07.00,0:02:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I think there's a better solution.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:09.00,0:02:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm an artist,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:11.00,0:02:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I'd like to offer a modest proposal
Dialogue: 0,0:02:13.00,0:02:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,at the intersection
Dialogue: 0,0:02:15.00,0:02:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of art, science and culture.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:17.00,0:02:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Infinity Burial Project,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:19.00,0:02:21.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,an alternative burial system
Dialogue: 0,0:02:21.00,0:02:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that uses mushrooms
Dialogue: 0,0:02:23.00,0:02:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to decompose and clean toxins in bodies.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:25.00,0:02:27.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Infinity Burial Project
Dialogue: 0,0:02:27.00,0:02:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,began a few years ago with a fantasy
Dialogue: 0,0:02:29.00,0:02:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to create the Infinity Mushroom --
Dialogue: 0,0:02:31.00,0:02:33.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a new hybrid mushroom
Dialogue: 0,0:02:33.00,0:02:36.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that would decompose bodies, clean the toxins
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.00,0:02:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and deliver nutrients to plant roots,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.00,0:02:40.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,leaving clean compost.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:40.00,0:02:42.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But I learned it's nearly impossible
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.00,0:02:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to create a new hybrid mushroom.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:44.00,0:02:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I also learned
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.00,0:02:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that some of our tastiest mushrooms
Dialogue: 0,0:02:48.00,0:02:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,can clean environmental toxins in soil.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:50.00,0:02:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I thought maybe I could train an army
Dialogue: 0,0:02:53.00,0:02:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of toxin-cleaning edible mushrooms
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.00,0:02:58.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to eat my body.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:58.00,0:03:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So today, I'm collecting what I shed or slough off --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:01.00,0:03:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,my hair, skin and nails --
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.00,0:03:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and I'm feeding these to edible mushrooms.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:07.00,0:03:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,As the mushrooms grow,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:09.00,0:03:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I pick the best feeders
Dialogue: 0,0:03:11.00,0:03:13.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to become Infinity Mushrooms.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:13.00,0:03:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's a kind of imprinting and selective breeding process
Dialogue: 0,0:03:16.00,0:03:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for the afterlife.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:18.00,0:03:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So when I die,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:20.00,0:03:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Infinity Mushrooms will recognize my body
Dialogue: 0,0:03:22.00,0:03:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and be able to eat it.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:24.00,0:03:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,All right, so for some of you,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:26.00,0:03:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this may be really, really out there.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:28.00,0:03:30.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:03:30.00,0:03:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Just a little.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.00,0:03:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I realize this is not the kind of relationship
Dialogue: 0,0:03:35.00,0:03:38.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we usually aspire to have with our food.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.00,0:03:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,We want to eat, not be eaten by, our food.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:41.00,0:03:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,But as I watch the mushrooms grow
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.00,0:03:45.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and digest my body,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:45.00,0:03:47.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I imagine the Infinity Mushroom
Dialogue: 0,0:03:47.00,0:03:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as a symbol of a new way of thinking about death
Dialogue: 0,0:03:50.00,0:03:53.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and the relationship between my body and the environment.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:53.00,0:03:55.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,See for me,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:55.00,0:03:57.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cultivating the Infinity Mushroom
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.00,0:03:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is more than just scientific experimentation
Dialogue: 0,0:03:59.00,0:04:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,or gardening or raising a pet,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.00,0:04:04.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,it's a step towards accepting the fact
Dialogue: 0,0:04:04.00,0:04:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that someday I will die and decay.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:07.00,0:04:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's also a step
Dialogue: 0,0:04:09.00,0:04:11.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,towards taking responsibility
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.00,0:04:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,for my own burden on the planet.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:14.00,0:04:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Growing a mushroom is also part of a larger practice
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.00,0:04:18.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of cultivating decomposing organisms
Dialogue: 0,0:04:18.00,0:04:20.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,called decompiculture,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:20.00,0:04:23.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a concept that was developed by an entomologist,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:23.00,0:04:25.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Timothy Myles.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:25.00,0:04:28.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Infinity Mushroom is a subset of decompiculture
Dialogue: 0,0:04:28.00,0:04:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm calling body decompiculture and toxin remediation --
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.00,0:04:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the cultivation of organisms that decompose
Dialogue: 0,0:04:34.00,0:04:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and clean toxins in bodies.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.00,0:04:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And now about these ninja pajamas.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:39.00,0:04:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Once it's completed,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.00,0:04:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I plan to integrate the Infinity Mushrooms into a number of objects.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:44.00,0:04:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,First, a burial suit
Dialogue: 0,0:04:46.00,0:04:48.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,infused with mushroom spores,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.00,0:04:50.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the Mushroom Death Suit.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:50.00,0:04:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.00,0:04:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm wearing the second prototype
Dialogue: 0,0:04:54.00,0:04:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of this burial suit.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:56.00,0:04:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It's covered with a crocheted netting
Dialogue: 0,0:04:59.00,0:05:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that is embedded with mushroom spores.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:01.00,0:05:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The dendritic pattern you see
Dialogue: 0,0:05:03.00,0:05:06.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,mimics the growth of mushroom mycelia,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:06.00,0:05:08.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which are the equivalent of plant roots.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:08.00,0:05:10.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'm also making a decompiculture kit,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:10.00,0:05:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a cocktail of capsules
Dialogue: 0,0:05:12.00,0:05:14.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that contain Infinity Mushroom spores
Dialogue: 0,0:05:14.00,0:05:16.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and other elements
Dialogue: 0,0:05:16.00,0:05:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that speed decomposition and toxin remediation.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:19.00,0:05:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,These capsules are embedded in a nutrient-rich jelly,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:22.00,0:05:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a kind of second skin,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:24.00,0:05:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which dissolves quickly
Dialogue: 0,0:05:26.00,0:05:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and becomes baby food for the growing mushrooms.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:29.00,0:05:32.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,So I plan to finish the mushroom and decompiculture kit
Dialogue: 0,0:05:32.00,0:05:34.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in the next year or two,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:34.00,0:05:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then I'd like to begin testing them,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:37.00,0:05:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,first with expired meat from the market
Dialogue: 0,0:05:39.00,0:05:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and then with human subjects.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:41.00,0:05:43.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And believe it or not,
Dialogue: 0,0:05:43.00,0:05:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a few people have offered to donate their bodies to the project
Dialogue: 0,0:05:46.00,0:05:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to be eaten by mushrooms.
Dialogue: 0,0:05:49.00,0:05:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Laughter)
Dialogue: 0,0:05:52.00,0:05:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What I've learned from talking to these folks
Dialogue: 0,0:05:54.00,0:05:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is that we share a common desire
Dialogue: 0,0:05:56.00,0:05:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to understand and accept death
Dialogue: 0,0:05:59.00,0:06:02.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and to minimize the impact of our death on the environment.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:02.00,0:06:05.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I wanted to cultivate this perspective
Dialogue: 0,0:06:05.00,0:06:07.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,just like the mushrooms,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:07.00,0:06:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I formed the Decompiculture Society,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:09.00,0:06:12.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a group of people called decompinauts
Dialogue: 0,0:06:12.00,0:06:15.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who actively explore their postmortem options,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:15.00,0:06:17.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,seek death acceptance
Dialogue: 0,0:06:17.00,0:06:19.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and cultivate decomposing organisms
Dialogue: 0,0:06:19.00,0:06:22.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,like the Infinity Mushroom.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:22.00,0:06:24.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The Decompiculture Society shares a vision
Dialogue: 0,0:06:24.00,0:06:26.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of a cultural shift,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:26.00,0:06:29.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,from our current culture of death denial and body preservation
Dialogue: 0,0:06:29.00,0:06:31.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to one of decompiculture,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:31.00,0:06:35.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a radical acceptance of death and decomposition.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:35.00,0:06:37.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Accepting death means accepting
Dialogue: 0,0:06:37.00,0:06:39.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,that we are physical beings
Dialogue: 0,0:06:39.00,0:06:41.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,who are intimately connected to the environment,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:41.00,0:06:44.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,as the research on environmental toxins confirms.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:44.00,0:06:46.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And the saying goes,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:46.00,0:06:49.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we came from dust and will return to dust.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:49.00,0:06:52.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And once we understand that we're connected to the environment,
Dialogue: 0,0:06:52.00,0:06:54.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,we see that the survival of our species
Dialogue: 0,0:06:54.00,0:06:56.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,depends on the survival of the planet.
Dialogue: 0,0:06:56.00,0:06:59.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I believe this is the beginning
Dialogue: 0,0:06:59.00,0:07:01.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of true environmental responsibility.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:01.00,0:07:03.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Thank you.
Dialogue: 0,0:07:03.00,0:07:09.00,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,(Applause)