Lay me on a bed of roses…or shall it be Alfalfa?

Discussing and preparing for our own final death arrangements, or for those of our loved ones, is a psychological struggle for most. Traditional funeral practices are often seen as unsustainable, wasteful and polluting in protecting our future. And in our eco-conscious world many choose the final disposition of humans as a gift to Mother Nature.

Our own state was the first of developing and approving the process called Natural Organic Reduction (NOR):  human remains transformed into soil.

All along, people had been cared for by their family and friends, then often buried on their own property or even their back yards.

Nonetheless, now we are rethinking this final journey on Earth, not deciding to be burned up during the cremation process, which adds carbon monoxide into our atmosphere and burns fossil fuels. Some of us cannot stand the thought of having our bodies filled with embalming chemicals; or doing the final; “Hair & Make-up” display. After all, there are much more natural ways for our bodies to move forward to the next phase.

In May 2019, Jay Inslee signed SB5001 into law, which makes Washington State the first in the world to legalize natural organic reduction (NOR). This procedure is legally described as “the contained accelerated conversion of human remains to soil.”

Currently we have four companies in our state offering natural organic reduction. They are: Recompose - Seattle, WA.

The Herland Forest, Klickitat County – Wahkiacus, WA.

Return Home - Auburn, WA.

Earth - Auburn, WA.

These companies consist of groups of scientists and researchers who work hand in hand with funeral directors. The process itself is fairly similar amongst them.

Often their employees had their career originate in the funeral business, still caring for families and helping them through the end-of-life arrangements for their loved ones. The approach is now different from the traditional funeral industry. Nonetheless, the same professional licenses are held, and guidelines are being met and overseen by our state. People making their end-of-life preparations and their family members can be assured that they will receive the highest standards of care.

Statements/quotes:

Katrina Spade of Recompose in Seattle, is the founder of NOR.

“Although farmers have been composting livestock for decades, I was the first to do the research and policy work necessary to bring human composting to the public, “explains Katrina Spade, who was raised in a medical family. “I grew up in a family where it was fairly normal to talk about death and dying at our dinner table.”

Such as music, she sees it is a form of recomposing. You can see a little bit about the history of her mission at: https://recompose.life/who-we-are/#history

• Carolyn Maezes/Earth:
•  We have purchased a beautiful piece of land on the Olympic Peninsula for our restoration and conservation efforts. It was historically logged, and we'll be removing non-native species and reforesting it, creating a beautiful sanctuary and healthy ecosystem that is protected for future generations. We aim to have it open to families by the end of 2023.

Walt Patrick has served as the director of Herland Forest –. A natural burial in Klickitat County near Wahkiacus, WA.

“We work in partnership with funeral directors”, says Patrick. “All work is done outside in the forest.” He explains that the general weight and size limit of a person who has passed needs to be within the 6’5”/300 pound average in order to fit into the vessel designed for the natural decomposition process to take place.

Micah Truman of Return Home in Auburn encourages people to take a look at his facilities by calling to set up an appointment beforehand.