Death is a part of life: but environmentally harmful burial practices, overcrowded cemeteries and unaffordable funerals are denying many the right to a good death.

With 500,000 deaths due to COVID, the U.S. has become a nation in mourning, often alone, also dealing with the trauma of the pandemic’s other effects, a combination that worries mental health experts.

A funeral director explains how the bodies of the deceased are prepared for burial or cremation in the United States.