Starting May of 2020 it will now be legal to compost your loved ones.
About this Episode
When you die, would you consider having your remains converted to soil that could feed other plants? Beginning in May of 2020 this will be an option in Washington State. In this episode, Lyn talks with Erik about what she learned about this "new" practice and helps shake-loose the creepiness of a topic we normally don't like to discuss.
Some of our favorite quotes
We are mostly liquid and goo.
I've been to so many funerals, I've been to cremations, burials, mausoleums. I've been so many more funerals than a person of my age [mid 40's] should ever have been to.
People and cultures grieve in very different ways.
When I was a kid my dad used to say, "Kids, when I die don't waste your money on a coffin, just throw me in the dumpster." But, when he got cancer and died young that all changed and he was buried in a graveyard with a tombstone.
I missed seeing my dad in his coffin because I was busy futzing with the darn PowerPoint presentation for his memorial service.
The earth can't hold enough people in a graveyard with a plot. If everyone did this, the entire United States would be nothing but one big graveyard in about 450 years.
A metric ton of carbon is saved per person by natural reduction compared to cremation.
You get about 2 wheelbarrows full of dirt out of one recomposition of a human.
Farmers use a similar process to compost the remains of livestock.
I love trees. Have my body go back into a tree.
Erik: I'd rather be eaten by a bear than die in a car crash. But of course I don't want to be eaten by a bear, I'd run up a tree as fast as I could.
The cool thing is you can make the decision to recompose without it needing to being an environmental or religious decision.
Give yourself freedom to think outside of the box, but also remember that everyone processes death and dying differently.
Erik: Am I laughing because I'm nervous about this topic? Lyn: Yeah, I think you are.
Photos & Social Shares
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NPR Audio Article on Human Composting.
An artists rendering of a future Recompose facility.
Photo from article found here: https://www.citylab.com/environment/2019/01/human-composting-washington-katrina-spade-burial-death/580015/
Photo credit: MOLT Studios https://www.moltstudios.com/
Mentioned in this Episode
Follow along as you listen to bring your listening experience to life.
Washington State Study of Human Composting - Spokane Newspaper
Karla Marina Rothstein, Director, Columbia University GSAPP DeathLAB
Joseph Sprague: Former Exec Director of WA State Catholic Conference
New York Times Article: Governor Jay Inslee signs bill for composting human remains.
Associated Press article on Washington State to be 1st state allowing composting of human bodies.
About Erik and Lyn Lindbergh
Erik and Lyn are the co-hosts of The Lindberghs Podcast. Learn more about Erik at: https://www.eriklindbergh.com and Lyn at: https://www.couchtoactive.com
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