A Web-based platform that allows people to express their condolences for the deceased electronically will be launched nationwide by the end of this year as part of the government’s bid to promote “green” funerals, the Ministry of the Interior said.
The platform — which is designed to connect bereaved families and funeral scroll buyers with funeral service providers — aims to provide more environmentally friendly funerals, the ministry said.
Instead of having funeral service providers hang the traditional cloth funeral scrolls at services, people can visit the Web site and pick out a suitable scroll that can then be displayed electronically at the funeral, it said.
“The platform’s database offers a large range of condolences in various fonts and background designs,” a ministry official added.
The ministry said the initiative would reduce the environmental impact of funerals, which often generate a significant amount of pollution.
Though it declined to estimate the precise environmental benefits of the Web site, such as the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions generated by the burning of used funeral scrolls, it did say that it expects the service to meet with a positive response since similar programs run by local governments in Taipei and Yilan and Taoyuan counties have received wide public support.
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