Podcast appearances and mentions of Katrina Spade

Our guest for today's episode is Katrina Spade, the founder of Recompose, which is a human composting service based out of Seattle, Washington. Before I get into the details of our conversation, as you can imagine, our conversations centers around death. If the topic stirs up personal feelings and situations you would not rather than experience at this time, then please do not listen to this the episode. Every person has a different relationship with death and I don't want to catch anyone off-guard. If you choose to stick around, thank you for engaging this topic. It is one I've thought about a lot as you'll hear in the episode and one that our guest Katrina has obviously thought about a lot as well. And that thought is reflected in the Recompose experience.In just about a handful of years, Recompose has brought hundreds of people through the human composting process. And as you'll hear from Katrina, every aspect of the process has been designed and designed with intention. With 13 states in the United States having legalized human composting including Georgia, Washington, Delaware, California and Minnesota, it is a practice that offers - at least in my opinion - a path to transition from this mortal coil to whatever you believe is next in a way that respects and honors nature by giving something back. I see it as completing the cycle. LinksRecompose Website Recompose Instagram Katrina Spade TEDX Talk

Matters of life and death Australia’s death care and funeral industry is big business. We meet death doula Dr Annetta Mallon and funeral industry adviser Martin Tobin, two caring and passionate business owners supporting you and your loved ones through the last step on life’s journey. About the episode – brought to you by Australian Seniors. Join James Valentine for the sixth season of Life’s Booming: Dying to Know, our most unflinching yet. We’ll have the conversations that are hardest to have, ask the questions that are easy to ignore, and hear stories that will make you think differently about the one thing we’re all guaranteed to experience: Death. Featuring interviews with famous faces as well as experts in the space, we uncover what they know about what we can expect. There are hard truths, surprising discoveries, tears and even laughs. Nothing about death is off the table. Dr Annetta Mallon is an end-of-life consultant, doula and educator and grief psychotherapist based in Tasmania. With decades of experience in trauma recovery and personal growth, Annetta helps people understand their rights and options at the end of life – especially those without a strong support network. Martin Tobin is a recognised family name in the funeral business. He is founder of Funeral Direction, a consultancy supporting funeral homes and cemeteries across Australia and New Zealand. A former solicitor, Martin brings legal, strategic and business insight, and is focused on helping the industry evolve through innovation, education and long-term planning. If you have any thoughts or questions and want to share your story to Life’s Booming, send us a voice note – lifesbooming@seniors.com.au Watch Life’s Booming on YouTube Listen to Life's Booming on Apple Podcasts Listen to Life's Booming on Spotify For more information visit seniors.com.au/podcast Produced by Medium Rare Content Agency, in conjunction with Ampel at Myrtle & Pine Studios -- Disclaimer: Please be advised that this episode contains discussions about death, which may be triggering or upsetting for some listeners. Listener discretion is advised. If you are struggling with the loss of a loved one, please know that you are not alone and there are resources available. For additional support please contact Lifeline on 131 114 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636. TRANSCRIPT: S06EP03_Matters of Life and Death James: Hello, and welcome to Life's Booming. I'm James Valentine, and this season, we're talking about death. In this episode, we're talking about matters of life and death, well, the final matter, how we say goodbye. Death is big business, and Australia's death care and funeral industry is worth more than $2 billion. And with us are two entrepreneurs, two people who work in this area, supporting you and your loved ones through the last step on life’s journey. We're joined by Dr. Annetta Mallon, an end of life consultant, an educator, and also known as a death doula. And Martin Tobin is a recognised family name in the funeral business and is now an expert adviser on the global funeral industry. Annetta, Martin, welcome to Life's Booming. So many places to start. I'm excited. And Martin, I'll start with you. What's it like when the family business is death? Martin: Yeah, well, it's all I've ever known. When I was, you know, when I was born and grew up, I, we actually lived in a funeral parlour. Um, so when I was, for the first two or three years of my life, uh, the funeral parlour was downstairs. We lived upstairs. So when it's all you've known, you don't think anything different of it. And I suppose all of my friends and sort of social groups when I was young and a teenager thought it was pretty quirky and funny, but for me, it was what I knew. My grandfather and his brother started our family business in the thirties. And by the time I came along, it was well, well and truly established. I didn't really work directly in it straight away after leaving school, but it was always in the background. And so I've always been comfortable with it. James: Yeah. But such an interesting thing. Like what's, what's the dinner time conversation. Did you have a good day, darling? Good deaths? Some good deaths? Martin: Well, all of that. You know, I think that's the stereotype, isn't it, that funeral directors are a bit, sort of weird and severe and a bit morbid, but, but it's, it's far from the truth. You know, I think most people who work in funeral service, and the work that Annetta does, are really warm and loving and gregarious people because you have to have those qualities to really survive and thrive in, in what we do in that space. James: You kind of got to love life, Annetta. Annetta: Absolutely. We are fiercely alive until we are dead. And I think that. Whether it's from the professional funeral side of things or more from consumer advocate and personal support side of things, coming in with a joke – why do we screw the coffin lids down so hard to keep the oncologist out. Great icebreaker: show up with cake. Make jokes, because most of us have a lot of laughter and love in our lives and it's important to leaven sorrow and, and grief. Martin: Yeah. Don't let death just drown out the… James: What's the undertaker's joke? Martin: Oh, there's so many. I mean, everyone used to, I used to get called Stiffy Tobin, that sort of stuff. James: Stiffy, Tobin… Martin: …you know, a bit. So a lot of funeral directors get called Stiffy. Annetta: …that's a 1930s cartoon character, isn't it? James: It's like, it's the, the Millers, the Millers and bakers are Dusty. You know, it's that, it's that era, isn't it? Annetta: You're a Tintin character. James: Yeah, exactly. Martin: Yeah. Luckily I wasn't, you know, I don't fit the stereotype of tall and gray. I'm sort of fairly short and not gray. And so when I joined our family business, I was quite young. So I was lucky I sort of didn't fit that stereotype. And back in the early 90s, there was very few women, very few people, young people, very few people from, from diverse backgrounds. So it's changed a lot really for the better in that sense. So there's no stereotypical funeral director now it's, it's a really, really diverse. James: What's a, what's a doula? Annetta: Well, a doula is someone who supports life's transitions. So I've been a birth doula, and it's a very powerful energy when someone comes into the world, but it's really not my jam. I like the other transition, and I'm better at it. I provide an awful lot of information for people who have questions like, what is this going to feel like? Should I be at home or should I be in the hospital? And the point of a lot of my conversations is not to provide answers, but to support people into recognising what's best for them, which I suspect is actually quite a lot of what Martin does, with the way that you work with businesses. James: When do you turn up? Annetta: A piece of string question. I can turn up pre-need, so there's no terminal or life limiting diagnosis. There's a bit of a myth that we turn up magically, like a fairy, in the last 24 hours of life. That's not really great or optimal. James: So, do some people get you, even if, well, I don't have a diagnosis, but I want to start working with a doula? Annetta: If you're a doula like me who does planning and can answer questions and help people prepare their documentation and their wishes, because that's not anything you want to be doing at the last minute and in cases where there's dementia and cognitive decline. It's too late then to get your planning in place. So I also help to support and foster family-wide and network-wide conversations so that everyone understands if someone's interested in assisted dying, let's talk about that. Does anyone have questions, for example. Or have you considered your pets in your planning? Are you including your grandchildren or just your children? Would you prefer to die in a medicalised environment, ideally, or in a home like environment? James: So you can, yeah, so you're there at any point and really every circumstance is entirely different. Annetta: It is, it's unique every single time. James: Same for funerals? Martin: Yeah, I mean, a funeral really should be a reflection of the person's life and interests and values and philosophies, and sometimes, you know, historically, traditionally, in say the last couple of hundred years that, that often revolved around their, their faith. So these days funerals are quite sort of open-ended, quite, quite unstructured, quite celebratory and people are trying to find some ritual in that and some meaning in that and, and that's the, that's the real change that's happening in funeral service. You know, funerals have been going on for thousands of years. They're one of the early rituals of human, human existence. So, and they emanate from the human need to stop when someone from among us leaves us, and reflect on that person's life, to typically grieve that person, if they meant something to us. So that is, you know, invariably people feel sad, not always, but typically. And people have to then say, well, how do we, how do we move forward without this person? And then for a lot of people, that's incredibly difficult. Grief, grief is just our response to loss. You can't control it. You can't make it go away. So if you suppress it in the early days, it comes back to bite you later. So a funeral is a chance to gather, reflect, embrace the reality of the death and embrace the early stages of the grief, the pain that you'll often experience, and to receive support from your community and to let go of that person because they go from being with you to being a memory. James: It's interesting the way you phrased it or the point of view you expressed there was to me it was the person closest to whoever's died, it's for them. And then it's for the community. It's not for us. Funeral's not for the guy that died. The funeral's for us. Martin: Yep, that's right. And we're finding a lot of people now trying to sort of orchestrate their own celebration and say, this is what I want. I want this to happen, that to happen. And that's, that's got a place, but it's really for the living, for the, for those that are left behind. And, you know, the dead, the dead can't tell the living what, how to feel. But they can give guidance and direction, but I think it's really important that the funerals, funerals are done the way that the survivors feel they need, need to do it so that they, that helps them get back into life afterwards. James: Yeah. Yeah. Would you agree? What's a funeral for? Annetta: I think a funeral is an opportunity to remember why your person was so important to you. One of the big changes that I think we're going to see more and more of in Australia now, with assisted dying nationally available, is a fabulous ‘going away party’, as I call them. So people who attend their own funerals, because basically, especially if you're in a hospital, you know when your time is coming. So there's almost like a bookending effect where we have a celebration with the person and they get to say goodbyes and explain to people why they were important and hear all the good stuff. Then there's probably going to be a gathering of some kind afterwards, possibly ham rolls and whisky will play a part, because, as Martin has said, we need to commemorate the fact that this aspect of our lives is now irrevocably changed. I think for a lot of us, the relationship goes on, but it's very different. I still talk to my mother and my grandmother, both of whom are dead. I don't expect them to respond. But there's still kind of… James: …I think that's the sane way to do it. If you expect them to respond, I don't… Annetta: That's a different conversation. James: That's different. Yeah. We're doing another whole episode on that. Martin: Different podcast. Annetta: Different podcast. James: From Beyond the Grave. Welcome. So again, the funeral's not really for the dead person. Annetta: I've never thought a funeral is for the dead person. It is to really bring us out of the immense shock of the raw grief that – and this is a generalisation – is about 72 hours. And that's not a sustainable emotional state. We get to come together. We get to shift from intense grief, the personal experience of loss and that response – because grief is love with no place left to be put – into mourning, which is a more shared communal public sense of loss, which is a really important transitional period in accepting a death, coming to terms with a death, acknowledging a death. And the funeral makes a space that I think is important, not just for the closest people, but for friends, work colleagues, community members. So there is a space that can be welcoming for a variety of community members, which is also really important. Community can be quite intimate and small, it can be broader and more encompassing. Martin: Yeah, look, I think it does need to, I think a good funeral will reflect the person's life. If, if it's, if it's not authentic, if you go to that funeral and you say, Gee, that wasn't about Fred, then clearly the family have got it wrong. So there has to, they have to be the central character, and that has to, you know, has to really reflect who they were, ideally. But if Fred starts micromanaging his service, his celebration, then I think we're missing the point because it really is for, for those left behind to say, what's going to be meaningful for me to help me, you know, take stock of my life now that Fred's, Fred's gone. A good example is, you know, sometimes people these days will often say, look, let's not go to the fuss of a funeral. Let's, let's have a private cremation or burial and we'll have a memorial service, which is fine. And a lot of people choose that. But if Fred's not there, you know, the emotions around how people feel about Fred and the stories about him aren't really aren't heightened enough for people to really feel what they should feel at a funeral. It's hard to sort of get started with your grief, is sort of the perspective I have… James: …But I suppose there's often that, that's often thought of, we're going to do this in a few days, but the memorials in two weeks… Annetta: I think it's individual. And I also think it is broader culture. So for example, in some cultures, from Eastern Europe, there are marker days. So you will have the funeral on a particular day and then you might do something 10 days later. And then the 40th day might be, for example, in the Macedonian community… I still pay attention to ‘death-aversaries’ and I pay attention to it because it's going to affect my mood and the way I go throughout the day because I will be thinking about that person. And ideally, you have had the opportunity to spend time with your person, whether that's in a hospital room. For example, I did that when my mother died. We were allowed to have the room for as long as we wanted with her. Or at home, and you might keep your person at home for a day or two and sing to them, wash them, sit in silence, cry with them, laugh with them. That's, that can be part of the saying goodbye, which the funeral then when it's done properly and appropriately, I think sort of wraps everything up and ties it as neatly together as you can so that you can move into all of the afters of grief. James: Martin, let's talk about the, the business of funerals. It's a big business, isn't it? Martin: Well, it's, it became an industry a hundred plus years ago, something that people started outsourcing to, you know. And initially it was outsourced to cabinet makers who made the coffin. And then they, the cabinet maker said, well I can, not only can I make the coffin, but I can transfer the body from the place of death and… And over a period of time it became an industry. So, it is there, so it is an organised industry in most, most countries around the world. And so the, the organised funeral director will provide a range of services to, you know, support people who've lost, lost someone. In Australia, it's primarily, historically, made up of family owned private businesses that are multi generational family businesses. But about 25 years or so ago, a lot of the well known family businesses were purchased by larger groups. But certainly they're at, in my view, they're at a competitive disadvantage to a generally family owned local community based, family owned business, because they just don't have that essence. James: Yeah. Is it a strange thing? I mean, you've talked very compassionately about grief and about the humanity of what's involved about the moment of death and what people are dealing with. Yet this is something that you'll make profit from, that the company is going to make profit from. Is that a strange, is there a conflict there? Martin: There isn't really. I mean, you know, sometimes I think a lot of the people who are attracted to the industry, yeah, they're talking to a family and they've gone through a loss and there's a lot of grief and pain and there might be, there might be some challenging financial circumstances too that they glean from the conversation. And yeah, that people feel, feel, Oh, gee, how can we add pain to them, or, you know, add, you know, send them an invoice for $10,000, whatever it might be on top of what they're already experiencing. So yeah, it is a little bit uncomfortable, but I think if, if the business has integrity around its pricing and there's, there's genuine options and, and you know, they're not sort of forced into any sort of uncomfortable decisions, then, you know, most people recognise that a funeral, if it, you know, needs to be done in a certain way, there's going to be a cost to that. James: And do you find that, you know, the, the rise of doulas, the presence of doulas, the change… the way in which there seems to be a lot of, a lot of alternatives to those bigger companies or that standard sort of the mahogany casket approach. Is that in a reaction to this sort of somewhat, you know, industrialisation of, of the process? Annetta: Partially, yes, and from my perspective, I think we can, Okay, Boomer, let's give you a big vote of thanks, because at every stage of life, the Boomer generation, it's a cliche for a reason, they've demanded information and choice, and they want things on their terms far more than we'd seen in the silent generation, certainly, and previous generations. So, what are my rights, options, and choices at end of life? What can we do better and differently? It's made space for things like Daisybox Caskets Australia. I'm not affiliated with them, but they offer a lower and a high quality product, but it's less expensive than mahogany, which you mentioned. Not a bad option for families on a budget, not a bad option for cremations. I think, as we are in such an almost overwhelm of information age, people do want to know what's possible and we can readily see that, for example, in the USA, we've got Katrina Spade, who started with the urban death project. James: What’s that? Annetta: The urban death project was an architectural hypothetical exercise. How can we offer a space for respectful memorialisation and body disposition that is not taking up valuable land. And from this, then we have, recompose, which is natural, organic reduction, nor human composting. In Tasmania, we've got the very first water based cremation service. James: What is that? Because I mean, cremation implies fire to me, not water. Annetta: Yes. So it's alkaline hydrolysis. It's a high temperature, high alkaline process of dissolving everything, which at the end you get a product that instead of gray ashes, white, you get a completely sterile liquid, that I personally don't see why we can't use on green spaces, urban green spaces, but it can go down the drain. James: Just water me in the park. Just go water the flowers with me. Annetta: I quite like that. Martin: Splash me into the ocean. James: Splash me into the ocean. Annetta: There we go. And it's, it's about a seventh of the environmental footprint of a flame cremation. Costs about the same, maybe a little bit more, but we also have a team that will transport statewide. We don't do natural burial, we don't have dedicated natural burial, um, spaces in Australia. The UK does it really well. James: Again, what’s natural burial? Annetta: Okay, so instead of going down six feet, like into colder ground, which is anaerobic, there's frequently a lot of concrete involved, you're in essentially like a hotter ground. You've got more microbes and oxygen, you're going to break down faster. And in the UK, the multipurpose spaces where you might be running, sheep, for example, or growing wildflowers or food. In the USA, when you have the composted remains of people, which turns out to be quite a lot, large in volume, they work with a national park, and it actually goes to beautify hiking trails and to recondition public spaces. James: I like all these. Annetta: I like it too. James: They're kind of positive, aren't they? Annetta: There's options for everybody. So it's opening up spaces for non medical community based people like myself. It also means that there's new and exciting ways for funeral directors to then work with people to make the meaningful, personalised, ritual and ceremony and funeral experience. So, thank you, Boomers. We've got a lot of change. James: Yeah.. And is, are the traditional companies, are they embracing this? Are they seeing the need to embrace this? [00:19:15] Martin: The traditional funeral of being in a church and sort of straight to the cemetery with, with everything sort of reasonably structured, that pattern has definitely broken. We're seeing two things in the Australian industry, that is people trending or consumers saying That doesn't do it for me anymore, I'm either going to go for something very simple that's, like, low cost and, you know, where there's not much of a fuss; or people are saying, I want something highly customised, highly celebratory, highly innovative. And the companies that have stayed quite traditional and conservative are actually losing relevance. And so the funeral directors who are seeing those Baby Boomer-led changes, and are responding construct-- who are responding or actually leading the way themselves and coming up with some of those ideas themselves, they're the ones that are becoming or staying relevant and are thriving. You know, there's a funeral company called Tender Funerals who, whose focus and philosophy is that the family are much more involved in the actual funeral, which is, which is a great thing, which is how it should have, how it used to be. You know, the family themselves would… James: So what might take place? What do they, what do they do? Martin: Well, they might wash and dress the body as, as Annetta said, you know, they might, they might carry the coffin in some of the steps that normally the funeral director would, would only do. There's subtle differences and I don't, I don't profess to know a lot about what they do, but, but philosophically their, their message is let's do funerals the way they used to be done, and not outsource everything to the funeral director. So that's a challenge for the organised industry, because people are responding to that, and because people are saying, Yeah, actually, that's how we did use to do it. And I think the work that doulas are doing is getting people comfortable with the conversation, you know, the fact that we all die and that… Annetta: We've checked, everyone dies. Yeah. Martin: Yeah, we worked that out before. Annetta: Spoiler alert. James: Yeah, that's right. Yeah. Martin: So, you know, the organised industry has to realise that with education and Boomer-led sort of innovation, there's a lot more, you know, sort of change and sort of innovation they have to embrace, otherwise they will become irrelevant. Annetta: Whether you're coming from a more business-like perspective or something that's more community led, we all offer skills and services that have value. People train to be funeral directors and celebrants. People train to be morticians, people train to be doulas. And there's an awful lot of ongoing research and continuing education because the legislation is changing very quickly, in terms of documentation, where it's stored, how it's processed. Assisted dying is constantly changing, as we review the laws. And there is a value to that. I'm not a charity. I like to eat meals and sleep under a roof. So, I think one of the unexpected benefits of having more open conversations, generally, is people can recognise, Oh, well, maybe this much for a funeral seems too much, but this is a reasonable sum and I'm happy to pay that sum because we're getting something of value, in the end. That may be more personalised, maybe more ritualised and traditional, but then we have an exchange of something for something. James: But also those pro, the kind of, you know, those newer processes you were describing, even of how we dispose of the body, a more sustainable approach, is going to reflect a lot of people's values, you know, in a way that a traditional cask of being buried at a six feet under. Martin: Funerals don't operate in a vacuum. You know, they're part of the broader society. James: Yeah. Why do you like working in the area of death? Martin: It's a real privilege to, to work with, I mean, you know, the work that Annetta does is amazing. Like to have an open conversation with someone who is facing their own mortality, must, every day, must be an amazing privilege. And the work that I've done historically is after that. So it's, it's not as, it's not as confronting, because it's happened, but it's just really satisfying work to help people, you know, when they are at a low point to do something for them that's valuable, that's meaningful, and to help them with the long-term journey they're about to embark on. A funeral is just one of the first steps in their, their overall journey without that person. And if you can get them off to a good start with a good, you know, this notion of a good funeral, then, you know, then it's incredibly satisfying work. The vast majority of the people that work in funeral service, and I'm sure in the work that you do, are there for the right reasons. They're there because they, they are people-driven people, they love helping. They want to make a difference for people. So, it's a very satisfying industry. But most of what we have, the stereotype of we're all a bit weird and that it's far, it's almost the opposite. James: Annetta, why do you like it? You said you were better than this. You'd been a birth doula but you said ‘I'm better at death’. Annetta: I am better at death. I like puppies, not children, which probably explains a lot. I'm a good story keeper. And someone who is at end of life or is coming to terms with a life-limiting or terminal diagnosis – maybe a slower decline or more rapid decline – there is still an essence of themselves that they would like to have preserved, which I think feeds into this idea of the meaningful, purposeful funeral. The meaningful, purposeful end-of-life, with quality of life until we die, and then trying to offer a quality of life to people as they come to terms with the death of their person, is values driven, I think, in terms of planning. And also, for me, it's about honoring that person and trying to empower them with as much information as appropriate so that they can make informed decisions. I think there's nothing more empowering. When I've done my job really right, I'm not even involved when someone dies. Sometimes I'm in the room and that's okay, but often I will hear from families afterwards. And there's wonderful stories about the time that was spent while their person was dying, caring for their person's body after death, how the family and the friends came together to facilitate all of that, and then how that relationship of community changes, or stays the same, following that. So people then find meaning in their own life, get more excited about planning. The death literacy snowball is a wonderful thing to watch in action. That's my jam. I really love it. James: What do they do? What, what have people told you about death? Annetta: Interestingly enough, for a lot of people, it's not about death itself. It's about being frightened of dying. My pain threshold's in the basement, I don't want to be in pain. That bothers me far more than my moment of death. The people they loved know that they're loved… James: They want that, they want them to know? Annetta: … They want that. They want to know that love has been expressed, which I think is possibly why we're seeing that uptick, too, and people saying, I'd like this playlist at my funeral. I always start with a playlist with planning, you know, control it, be the DJ. Could we talk about this? I'd like these elements. Because it's a way of caretaking in a sense, the people that they're going to leave behind. The messages that people leave are messages of love. I think that's something the film Love Actually got really right, in the beginning. How do I convey that? How can I try and make that my legacy? So we're seeing it arise in, life writing, the narrative of someone's life so that there might be a digital book or voice recordings. We're seeing that with social media platforms where social accounts can be turned into memorial accounts. But I think also we need to prepare ourselves for the fact that sometimes that is all yanked away with no warning, sometimes, by family members who think that that's the right thing to do. And that can leave people devastated. So I think we're all kind of jogging along together, trying to come to terms with all the changes and make them a good fit for individuals. James: Martin, what do you hear? What do hear people say about death? Martin: Most people dread the day, you know, they're dreading the day, they have to get it, get up there in front of all those people, walk through the gathering and everyone's looking at them. And so there's a, there's a lot of dread. People will say, can we just get over and done with? Can we do it tomorrow? You know, when the death's been today, or whatever. So there is that sense that it's going to be an ordeal. So if, after it's happened and you, the feedback is all the conversations you hear are, Oh, that was really special and it went well and, and what a tribute we paid to Dad or Mum, you know, you know, he would have loved it or whatever. You know, that you've lifted all that dread away, and then they move ahead. So they're off to a good start. Otherwise, if we just die and we, we pause for a few minutes and we get back on the bike and start living again, well, you know, that person, all their, what they meant to us and all their stories and history and what they wanted to be said about them just gets shuffled aside and we get on with life again. So I think we, I think most of us deserve a bit better than that. And a funeral is a really good opportunity to just stop the clock for a while. You know, we don't have to wallow in it for weeks. And some cultures do, they actually, they put a real ritual around it. But as a minimum, just have some, some chance where we can say, his life mattered. I think that's, I think that's really good. Annetta: Yeah. James: This has been such a great conversation. Thank you so much, Annetta. Thank you. Annetta: Thank you for having me, James. It's been a pleasure. James: Martin, thank you. Martin: I enjoyed it. James: Terrific. Thanks to our guests, Dr. Annetta Mallon and Martin Tobin. You've been listening to Season 6 of Life's Booming, Dying to Know, brought to you by Australian Seniors. Please, leave a review or tell someone about it. Head to seniors.com.au/podcast for more episodes. May your life be booming. I'm James Valentine.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One day, while watching her baby somersault, Katrina Spade thought about how quickly time flies. Then it hit her like a ton of bricks that she would be in her 70s by the time he turned 40. This reflection sparked an interest in the funeral industry, ultimately leading her to design a new death experience. Despite facing legal hurdles and industry challenges, she founded the world's first human composting company. In this episode, Katrina shares how she turned a simple grad school project into a groundbreaking business. She also highlights the key lessons she learned, from challenging norms to embracing big ideas. Katrina Spade is the founder and CEO of Recompose, the world's first human composting company. Combining her background in architecture with a deep respect for nature, she created an eco-friendly alternative to traditional funerals. In this episode, Ilana and Katrina will discuss: - How a grad school project sparked a revolutionary idea - Balancing big ideas with practical execution - Translating design skills into business  - Telling your story to test your ideas - Why ‘perfect' is the enemy of ‘good' - How she quit her job and funded her dream - Attracting investors who believe in your vision - Building a reputation with intention and strategy - Breaking legal barriers to disrupt death care - And other topics…   Katrina Spade is the founder and CEO of Recompose, the world's first human composting company, which offers an eco-friendly alternative to traditional burials and cremation. With a background in architecture and sustainable design, she created a groundbreaking method to transform human bodies into soil. In 2019, she successfully advocated for the legalization of human composting in Washington, and by 2020, Recompose had opened its first facility. Katrina has been featured in major outlets like NPR, Fast Company, and The New York Times. She is also a recipient of prestigious fellowships from Echoing Green and Ashoka. Connect with Katrina: Katrina's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrina-spade-37047439/  Katrina's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katrinaspade/  Resources Mentioned: Recompose: https://recompose.life/  Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Magic-Creative-Living-Beyond/dp/1594634726  Leap Academy: Ready to make the LEAP in your career? There is a NEW way for professionals to Advance Their Careers & Make 5-6 figures of EXTRA INCOME in Record Time. Check out our free training today at leapacademy.com/training

From our planet's underwater caves to its ancient soils, there are entire worlds right beneath our feet. This hour, we explore the subterranean forces that shape our lives above the ground. Guests include cave diver Jill Heinerth, death care advocate Katrina Spade, soil scientist Asmeret Asefaw Berhe and paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim. Original broadcast date: March 11, 2022.TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What happens to your corporeal body, if and when it is buried in the earth?  According to Genesis in the Hebrew Torah, we come from dust and to dust we return.  The original text, however, uses the word עָפָ֣ר ("apar"), which means “earth.”  Most burials in the United States seek to protect the body from returning to the earth through containment, while cremation produces greenhouse gases and leaves behind heavy metals.  Are there other ways to go?  Join host Ronnie Lipschutz for a conversation with Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of Recompose, a Seattle-based green funeral home that composts human bodies, turning them into soil that can be spread almost everywhere.  We talk about other end-of-life choices, too.

Wow, compost lovers, we made it to season three! Thank you. That's three years of compost love being shared and celebrated. This season is going to be awesome. It will be as wide and varied as the microbes in our piles. We'll be talking with composters of all scales, new technologies, legislation, science, and some about the second compost operation, my farm, Earth Care Farm, is opening up in the neighboring state of Connecticut. There are so many ways to make compost, diverse materials, and varied scales of operation. We need it all. Let's talk about all of it. Can you feel the momentum gaining? I can.  Speaking of diverse ingredients, what an honor to kick off the first episode of season three with Katrina Spade of Recompose. Recompose specializes in human composting. Yes, we are starting this season with human composting. Such a fascinating niche in our industry. Katrina talks about the incredibly thoughtful design process Recompose uses to help connect the general public to the reverence of composting. This is a deep, caring process, fully honoring the life of the one who passed and the loved ones left behind. Human composting isn't legal in all states yet, so you'll hear how Katrina helped get that legalized in Washington in 2019. It's now legal in seven states, but so far only happening in Washington and Colorado. In my state of Rhode Island, it hasn't passed yet, but seems like it will soon. Join me in this rich conversation with Katrina Spade. Support the folks who support The Composter You can learn more about Viably, formerly Komptech, and their portfolio of compost solutions at thinkviably.com. While there, request a complimentary consultative meeting to discover how Viably can help your compost operation deliver what is possible. The OSC Pack Pact is a collective action campaign that works to reduce single-use packaging in the natural products industry. Receive a discount code to shop select products from leading natural products brands that you love. Click the link in the show notes to join the Pack Pact! Compost use and selection decisions involve many factors and are not one-size-fits-all. The U .S. Composting Council's Seal of testing assurance, STA program helps you make the best decisions for your application. Learn about the three Cs of the STA program, clarity, consistency, and confidence and enroll at compostingcounsel.org

Wow, compost lovers, we made it to season three! Thank you. That's three years of compost love being shared and celebrated. This season is going to be awesome. It will be as wide and varied as the microbes in our piles. We'll be talking with composters of all scales, new technologies, legislation, science, and some about the second compost operation, my farm, Earth Care Farm, is opening up in the neighboring state of Connecticut. There are so many ways to make compost, diverse materials, and varied scales of operation. We need it all. Let's talk about all of it. Can you feel the momentum gaining? I can.  Speaking of diverse ingredients, what an honor to kick off the first episode of season three with Katrina Spade of Recompose. Recompose specializes in human composting. Yes, we are starting this season with human composting. Such a fascinating niche in our industry. Katrina talks about the incredibly thoughtful design process Recompose uses to help connect the general public to the reverence of composting. This is a deep, caring process, fully honoring the life of the one who passed and the loved ones left behind. Human composting isn't legal in all states yet, so you'll hear how Katrina helped get that legalized in Washington in 2019. It's now legal in seven states, but so far only happening in Washington and Colorado. In my state of Rhode Island, it hasn't passed yet, but seems like it will soon. Join me in this rich conversation with Katrina Spade. Support the folks who support The Composter You can learn more about Viably, formerly Komptech, and their portfolio of compost solutions at thinkviably.com. While there, request a complimentary consultative meeting to discover how Viably can help your compost operation deliver what is possible. The OSC Pack Pact is a collective action campaign that works to reduce single-use packaging in the natural products industry. Receive a discount code to shop select products from leading natural products brands that you love. Click the link in the show notes to join the Pack Pact! Compost use and selection decisions involve many factors and are not one-size-fits-all. The U .S. Composting Council's Seal of testing assurance, STA program helps you make the best decisions for your application. Learn about the three Cs of the STA program, clarity, consistency, and confidence and enroll at compostingcounsel.org

The funeral industry is one that has remained largely unchanged with many people seeking sustainable alternatives to traditional burials or cremation. Current end of life practices can have a significant effect on the environment from energy use to greenhouse gases and soil pollution. So, one of the alternatives will be introduced by my guest today who is Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of the world's first human composting company, Recompose. Founded in 2017, Recompose describes the process of human composting as natural organic reduction. Human composting has a host of environmental benefits which supports a return to nature and a reduction in carbon and energy. At the time of recording, Maine became the 12th state in the U.S. to legalise human composting however it is not yet available in Australia.  But at the heart of today's conversation it's about more than a green solution, we're exploring the opportunity for more choice with Recompose respectfully challenging the funeral industry and current practices.  I hope you enjoy the episode. You can learn more about Recompose on their website or follow them on Instagram for updates. This audio was edited by Peter Magill.

Support Outside/In before February 5th and your gift will be matched dollar-for-dollar! Donate $8 per month and we'll send you a pair of merino wool socks from Minus33 (they're made in New Hampshire!). A lot of discussion about sustainability revolves around the trash and waste we leave behind.  But at some point, every human being will die and leave behind a body. So what should we do with it? Casket? Cremation? Compost? And does our choice actually have a meaningful impact on the soils and skies around us?Today, we've got another edition of our segment, “This, That, or the Other Thing”, where Outside/In's unofficial decomposition correspondent Felix Poon investigates how we can more sustainably rest in peace. Featuring Regina Harrison, Katrina Spade, and Matt Scott SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter (it's free!).Follow Outside/In on Instagram or join our private discussion group on Facebook.Submit a question to the “Outside/Inbox.” We answer queries about the natural world, climate change, sustainability, and human evolution. You can send a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org or leave a message on our hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837). LINKSFind how you can help with climate solutions by drawing your Climate Action Venn Diagram.Learn more about Project Drawdown's Drawdown Solutions Library.Tag along on a visit to the Recompose human composting facility (Youtube). CREDITSHost: Nate HegyiReported and produced by Felix PoonEdited by Taylor QuimbyOur team includes Justine Paradis.Rebecca Lavoie is NHPR's Director of On-Demand Audio.Music for this episode by Blue Dot SessionsOutside/In is a production of New Hampshire Public RadioSubmit a question to the “Outside/Inbox.” We answer queries about the natural world, climate change, sustainability, and human evolution. You can send a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org or leave a message on our hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837).

Join host Ned Buskirk in conversation with Katrina Spade, founder & CEO of Recompose, a Public Benefit Corporation based in Seattle & the world's first human composting company, while they talk about her work with Recompose, the history that led to it, & the option of returning our bodies to the earth via composting.katrina spade'sIG: https://www.instagram.com/katrinaspade/ TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/katrina_spade_when_i_die_recompose_me recompose'swebsite: https://recompose.life/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/recomposelife/ FB; https://www.facebook.com/recomposelife/ newsletter: https://recompose.life/#signup Produced by Nick JainaSoundscaping by Nick Jaina”YG2D Podcast Theme Song” by Nick JainaTHIS PODCAST IS MADE POSSIBLE WITH SUPPORT FROM LISTENERS LIKE YOU.Become a podcast patron now at https://www.patreon.com/YG2D.

I Sverige är det bara tillåtet med kremering och jordbegravning men i andra länder finns det mer naturnära metoder, vi tittar närmare på bland annat kompostering och så kallad vattenkremering. Lyssna på alla avsnitt i Sveriges Radio Play. Det har alltid varit viktigt för oss hur vi tar hand om våra döda men synen på vad som är fint och värdigt har förändrats över tid.I Sverige är idag kremering och jordbegravning de enda tillåtna så kallade begängelseformerna men i vissa andra länder använder man sig också av mer naturnära metoder.Katrina Spade startade företaget Recompose och ser ett ökat intresse för de som vill bli komposterade. Hör också Marie Eaton som begravde sin bror genom den här metoden som idag är tillåten i flera delstater i USA.Vi har också talat med Gina Sheridan som intresserade sig för en helt annan metod där man använder sig av hett vatten för att lösa upp kroppen. När hennes pappa dog valde han den här metoden som kallas för resomation och Gina och hennes systrar fick följa med i processen.För 20 år sen ville biologen Susanne Wiigh-Mäsak framställa en miljövänlig begravningsmetod genom frystorkning. Hon kallade metoden för promession men den blev aldrig verklighet. Ett tiotal personer valde ändå att bli nedfrysta när de dött för att invänta frystorkningsmetoden, men de begravdes efter drygt 10 års väntan i frysrum istället på ett tillåtet sätt, Maud Strannebys pappa var en av dem. Hör hennes berättelse.En nyligen gjord undersökning visar att kremering trots allt är lika miljövänligt som kompostering. Hör Eva Pohl, lärare i miljöteknik vid Linnéuniversitetet i Kalmar, berätta om vad som krävs för att framställa den jord som behövs vid kompostering.programledare: Lollo Collmar och Anders Diamant

Death is a process of decomposition, how can we come to embrace this reality? This week, guest Katrina Spade joins Ayana for a fascinating conversation on the possibilities of burial practices, ways to connect with death, and the value in thoughtful death plans. Sharing her journey to founding Recompose, “a licensed, full-service, green funeral home in Seattle offering human composting,” Katrina shares that the way we design death rituals matters in how connected we feel to the process of death. Detailing the science, logistics, and art behind human composting, Katrina imbues the conversation with passion, concern, and a spirit of learning. Through Recompose, Katrina has witnessed the beauty that comes from watching new life blossom from death, and from the connections family members of the deceased can have with the soil created from the composting process. The intention and compassion we put into death-care matters.  As Katrina reminds us, there is so much to be gained from intimacy with death.Katrina Spade is the founder and CEO of Recompose, a public benefit corporation leading the transformation of the funeral industry. Katrina is a designer and the inventor of a system that transforms the dead into soil (aka human composting).Since founding in 2017, Katrina and Recompose have led the successful legalization of human composting in Washington State in 2019. Recompose became the first company in the world to offer the service in December of 2020. The process is now also legal in Oregon, Colorado, Vermont, California., and New York.Katrina and her team have been featured in Fast Company, NPR, the Atlantic, BBC, Harper's Magazine, and the New York Times. She is an Echoing Green Fellow, an Ashoka fellow, and a Harvard Kennedy School Visiting Social Innovator.Music by Yesol. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

On the Inside Startup Investing podcast, Chris Lustrino speaks with Katrina Spade, Founder and CEO of Recompose. Katrina offers a fresh perspective on the funeral industry by introducing a sustainable and environment-friendly alternative to traditional death care: human composting. With a unique blend of personal curiosity and environmental responsibility, Katrina discusses the journey of founding Recompose and its mission to transform the way we perceive and handle death, turning it into a regenerative process for the Earth. Highlights include… Katrina's personal journey: Her curiosity about post-death options during her architecture graduate studies and her dissatisfaction with traditional methods (1:18). Founding story (4:11) The business model (18:20). Walk through of the fragmented funeral industry (14:37). The burial processes and the value of offering a third, eco-friendly option (21:13). The comforting idea of folding the human body back into the ecosystem (23:23). The personal side of being in the funeral industry (26:13

This week – our episode that you voted as our BEST wild card episode!! You'll have to listen to find out what it is.  Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/SVBestEverEp In this episode talk to Brie Smith, Micah Truman, Katrina Spade and Thomas Bass.  This episode was produced by Blythe Terrell and Wendy Zukerman, with help from Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, Courtney Gilbert and Disha Bhagat. Were edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Eva Dasher. Mix and sound design of this episode was by Bobby Lord. Mix and sound design of our original episode was by Sam Bair. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord, So Wylie and Peter Leonard. Thanks to all of the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr John Paul, Dr Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, Dr Muriel Lepesteur, Jean F. Bonhotal, Dr Mark Pawlett, Professor Komla Tsey, Dr Ruth McManus and Dr Julie Rugg. Special thanks to Jimmy Olson, Jonathan Goldstein, Julia Martin, The Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Original broadcast date: March 11, 2022. From our planet's underwater caves to its ancient soils, there are entire worlds right beneath our feet. This hour, we explore the subterranean forces that shape our lives above the ground. Guests include cave diver Jill Heinerth, death care advocate Katrina Spade, soil scientist Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, and paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim. TED Radio Hour+ subscribers now get access to bonus episodes, with more ideas from TED speakers and a behind the scenes look with our producers. A Plus subscription also lets you listen to regular episodes (like this one!) without sponsors. Sign-up at plus.npr.org/ted.

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Today's guest Katrina Spade is changing the landscape of death care as CEO/founder of Recompose, an organization offering human composting as an environmental-friendly alternative to traditional burial and cremation.   Katrina is the founder and CEO of Recompose, a public benefit corporation leading the transformation of the funeral industry. She's the designer and inventor of a system that transforms the dead into soil (aka human composting). According to the Recompose website, Recompose became the first company in the world to offer the service in December of 2020. The process is now also legal in Oregon, Colorado, Vermont, California, and New York. Recompose utilizes a natural process that nourishes the earth and regenerates the soil. The Recompose team has been carefully curated to provide empathy and respectful response for the eight to 12 weeks that a body is in their care. Recompose also offers a pre-planning program called Precompose. Human composting is an environmentally friendly and gentle way to care for the dead, and offers an opportunity to give back to the earth at the same time.   Investing in Recompose is now open to everyone during their Community Round to raise $5M. Learn more and invest in Recompose by clicking here.  Learn more about human composting at recompose.life. Read about how Recompose works with you when a death occurs here. Learn about the process of natural organic reduction that Recompose uses here. Meet the Recompose team here. Plan ahead with Precompose here.  Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to helen@theheartofhospice.com.  Find more information about hospice philosophy, end of life care, and self care for both personal and professional caregivers here.   Connect with The Heart of Hospice podcast on The Whole Care Network, along with a host of other caregiver podcasts by clicking here.  Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)

Today's guest Katrina Spade is changing the landscape of death care as CEO/founder of Recompose, an organization offering human composting as an environmental-friendly alternative to traditional burial and cremation.  Katrina is the founder and CEO of Recompose, a public benefit corporation leading the transformation of the funeral industry. She's the designer and inventor of a system that transforms the dead into soil (aka human composting).  According to the Recompose website, Recompose became the first company in the world to offer the service in December of 2020. The process is now also legal in Oregon, Colorado, Vermont, California, and New York. Recompose utilizes a natural process that nourishes the earth and regenerates the soil.  The Recompose team has been carefully curated to provide empathy and respectful response for the eight to 12 weeks that a body is in their care.  Recompose also offers a pre-planning program called Precompose.  Human composting is an environmentally friendly and gentle way to care for the dead and offers an opportunity to give back to the earth at the same time.   Investing in Recompose is now open to everyone during their Community Round to raise $5M.  Learn more and invest in Recompose by clicking here. Learn more about human composting at recompose.life. Read about how Recompose works with you when a death occurs here. Learn about the process of natural organic reduction that Recompose uses here. Meet the Recompose team here. Plan ahead with Precompose here.  Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to helen@theheartofhospice.com.  Find more information about hospice philosophy, end of life care, and self care for both personal and professional caregivers here.   Connect with The Heart of Hospice podcast on The Whole Care Network, along with a host of other caregiver podcasts by clicking here.  Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)    

Today's guest Katrina Spade is changing the landscape of death care as CEO/founder of Recompose, an organization offering human composting as an environmental-friendly alternative to traditional burial and cremation.   Katrina is the founder and CEO of Recompose, a public benefit corporation leading the transformation of the funeral industry. She's the designer and inventor of a system that transforms the dead into soil (aka human composting). According to the Recompose website, Recompose became the first company in the world to offer the service in December of 2020. The process is now also legal in Oregon, Colorado, Vermont, California, and New York. Recompose utilizes a natural process that nourishes the earth and regenerates the soil. The Recompose team has been carefully curated to provide empathy and respectful response for the eight to 12 weeks that a body is in their care. Recompose also offers a pre-planning program called Precompose. Human composting is an environmentally friendly and gentle way to care for the dead, and offers an opportunity to give back to the earth at the same time.   Investing in Recompose is now open to everyone during their Community Round to raise $5M. Learn more and invest in Recompose by clicking here.  Learn more about human composting at recompose.life. Read about how Recompose works with you when a death occurs here. Learn about the process of natural organic reduction that Recompose uses here. Meet the Recompose team here. Plan ahead with Precompose here.  Book podcast host Helen Bauer to speak at your event or conference by sending an email to helen@theheartofhospice.com.  Find more information about hospice philosophy, end of life care, and self care for both personal and professional caregivers here.   Connect with The Heart of Hospice podcast on The Whole Care Network, along with a host of other caregiver podcasts by clicking here.  Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice at The Heart of Hospice Podcast (theheartofhospice.com)

This season was produced with support from the Google Podcasts Creator Program through PRX and our patrons. If you want to support the show, Head to www.patreon.com/thewind or click the link on the website. Set up a monthly donation to keep this thing going.Thanks to Cory Mcabee for speaking with me for this episode, and to Lori Leanord of the River Fork Ranch Preserve, Katrina Spade, and John Christian Phifer of the Conservation Burial Alliance.For more information on I_Butterfly and the Red Planet Planning Commission, along with other Links, photos, Live show calendar, Merch and more, visit Thewind.org.The music in this episode was almost entirely by Cory Mcabee, Most of it was from his album Small Star Seminar, plus that one was from his film, a space western called Stringray Sam.  The piece I played under Carl Sagan was an altered version of The Magic Flute by Mozart, The original was included by Sagan on the Golden Record, a collection of music that was present on Voyager 1 when it took that picture of our pale blue home.  Finally, Wedding of the Winds is from the public domain. 

This week, we interview Katrina Spade, the founder of Recompose, a company that provides funeral service by composting the dead. Inspired by the Gratitude Blooming Wildcard - Lilac, Katrina shares her personal journey and experiences that led her to this work, including her childhood growing up in rural New Hampshire and her background in architecture and design. She explains how composting and gardening were a part of her early awareness of the cycles of life and death, and how her work with Recompose is focused on creating a more natural and sustainable way of dealing with death. She also talks about the challenges and successes of starting and growing her business, as well as the legal and societal hurdles she faced in this field. Additionally, she shares her thoughts on the funeral service industry and its impact on the environment and the rising conversation around end-of-life and climate change grief. The goal of Recompose is to make composting the default solution and to create a gathering of community to legalize and prove that it is safe. With this in mind, Katrina aims to make the entire experience, including decomposing human bodies, beautiful and to create rich topsoil in 30-60 days.Enjoy our closing practice on thinking about your own legacy and what you want to consciously leave behind!--------If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star rating and review. Your feedback is valuable to us and helps us grow.You can also share your thoughts and comments by emailing us at hello@gratitudeblooming.com. We love hearing from our listeners.And don't forget to check out our shop at www.gratitudeblooming.com where you can support the podcast even further. Thank you for your continued support. We appreciate you!

At least 14 people are dead after torrential rain in California caused flash flooding across the state. KQED's Dan Brekke joins us. And, Drexel University professor Josiah Kephart talks about the potential federal ban on gas stoves. Then, New York is the latest state to give residents the option of composting their loved ones instead of using the standard burial or cremation. Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of Seattle's Recompose, offers what she calls "ecological death care." Software manager Nina Schoen says her end-of-life plan includes human composting.

Burials and cremations are dead ends. Composting is a fitting, circular end to life. This is the mission of Katrina Spade, who built "Recompose" - the world's first sustainable, empathetic, spiritually-elevated facility where human life is gradually and honorably brought to its most natural conclusion. Join Faith and Adam as they discuss the future of "life after life" while struggling - with limited success - to avoid the inevitable puns.

Episode Description Our future corpses have more options than ever, with eco-friendly processes like aquamation and composting being legalized across the U.S. and Canada. Find out the nitty-gritty truths on what goes into making these death alternatives a reality where you live.  Host, Caitlin Doughty talks to Recompose founder, Katrina Spade who has been the driving force behind legalization efforts, and Order of the Good Death Executive Director, Sarah Chavez.  Episode Resources Stay up to date with efforts to legalize composting in your state By signing up for the Recompose newsletter. (https://recompose.life/who-we-are/#public-policy) Learn more about the composting in the Order's Resource guide. Episode Credits: Hosted by Caitlin Doughty Produced by the Order of the Good Death: Sarah Chavez and Lauren Ronaghan Edited by Alex de Freitas Music by Kissed Her Little Sister Podcast artwork by Jessica Peng The Order of the Good Death (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com) Is supported by listeners like you. Support the Order by becoming a member (https://www.orderofthegooddeath.com/donate?)

Burying Green: Eco-Friendly Death Care On The Rise Dying, it turns out, isn't carbon neutral. Like many of the choices we make in our lifetimes, the choice to cremate or preserve our bodies after death comes with tradeoffs as well. With preservation and burial, there's the carbon cost of cemetery space, the materials to make a coffin, and the chemicals required to prevent decay. With cremation, the body's carbon is released into the atmosphere through the burning of natural gas. This is one of the reasons why companies are starting to offer more eco-friendly options, such as water-assisted cremation. Composting human bodies is another option, allowing our carbon to be sequestered in the soil, and providing nutrients for ecosystems or gardens. But in the United States, these lower-carbon funereal options are often against the law. Now, that's slowly changing, with pressure from people who wish to use those options for themselves when the time comes. Producer Kathleen Davis discusses these issues and more with mortician Caitlin Doughty and Katrina Spade, founder of Recompose, a company that has pioneered the practice of human composting. Plus, the relationship between grief, ritual, and the choices we have for our mortal remains.   This Brain Prosthesis Could Improve Memory Loss When people hear the word “prosthetic,” they'll probably think of an arm or a leg. But what about a prosthetic for the brain? A team of neuroscientists is designing a device that could “zap” the brain into remembering information better, and it's targeted for people with memory loss. They're doing so by studying the electrical patterns involved in memory, then mimicking them with electrodes implanted in the brain. Ira speaks with Dr. Robert Hampson, neuroscientist at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who is working on the implant.     Making a Meal Fit For An Astronaut Life on the International Space Station throws some wrenches into how food and eating work. There's very little gravity, after all. And there are big differences between nutritional needs on Earth and in space. Astronauts must exercise two hours each day on the International Space Station to prevent bone and muscle loss, meaning daily caloric intake needs to be somewhere between 2,500 and 3,500 calories. Sodium must also be reduced, as an astronaut's body sheds less of it in space. Astronauts also have an increased need for Vitamin D, as their skin isn't able to create it from sunlight as people on Earth do. So, how do all these limitations affect the food astronauts eat? Joining guest host Kathleen Davis to answer these gustatory questions is Xulei Wu, food systems manager for the International Space Station in Houston, Texas. Transcripts for each segment will be available the week after the show airs on sciencefriday.com.

What's the greenest way to die? Some nerds are saying that our bodies should go the way of our veggie scraps — and become compost. But will people get on board with spreading Grandpa in the garden? To find out, we talk to Brie Smith, Micah Truman, Katrina Spade and Thomas Bass. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What's the greenest way to die? Some nerds are saying that our bodies should go the way of our veggie scraps — and become compost. But will people get on board with spreading Grandpa in the garden? To find out, we talk to Brie Smith, Micah Truman, Katrina Spade and Thomas Bass. Link to our transcript: https://bit.ly/svhumancomposting  This episode was produced by Blythe Terrell and Wendy Zukerman, with help from Meryl Horn, Michelle Dang, Rose Rimler, Courtney Gilbert and Disha Bhagat. Were edited by Blythe Terrell and Caitlin Kenney. Fact checking by Eva Dasher. Mix and sound design by Sam Bair. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Emma Munger, Bobby Lord, So Wylie and Peter Leonard. Thanks to all of the researchers we got in touch with for this episode, including Dr Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, Dr Muriel Lepesteur, Jean F. Bonhotal, Dr Mark Pawlett, Professor Komla Tsey, Dr Ruth McManus and Dr Julie Rugg. Special thanks to Jimmy Olson, Jonathan Goldstein, Julia Martin, the Zukerman Family and Joseph Lavelle Wilson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

◾EP86 - “Possibilidades de funeral pelo mundo" com Katrina Spade, Gisela Adissi, Sergio Marques e Tom Almeida” ◾ Aperte o play para ouvir! ▶ ◾EP86 - “Possibilidades de funeral pelo mundo" com Katrina Spade, Gisela Adissi, Sergio Marques e Tom Almeida” ◾ Aqui no Brasil, os enterros e as cremações são as formas de nos despedirmos de pessoas queridas. Ainda há a possibilidade do corpo ser doado para estudos em universidades - mas essa prática ainda é pouco conhecida e há muitos tabus sobre ela. Cemitérios marítimos, compostagem humana e cremações em água são outras possibilidades possíveis pelo mundo, carregadas de significado, beleza e respeito. Katrina Spade é empresária e designer. Em 2017 fundou a Recompose: a primeira instalação no mundo com a opção de tratamento ecológico da morte ao público por meio da compostagem humana. Gisela Adissi é empreendedora funerária, consultora de Gestão de Luto e uma das co-fundadoras do portal Vamos Falar Sobre o Luto. Professor Sergio Ricardo Marques é responsável pelo Departamento de Morfologia e Genética da Universidade Federal de São Paulo. Tom Almeida é fundador do Movimento inFINITO, especialista em Luto e coautor dos livros "Luto por perdas não legitimadas na atualidade" e "Quando a Morte chega em casa". ➡ Conversa retirada do “Festival inFINITO 2021”. ▪ ▶ Aperte o play para ouvir!

◾EP85 - “Compostagem Humana" com Katrina Spade e Tom Almeida” ◾ Aperte o play para ouvir! ▶ ◾EP85 - “Compostagem Humana" com Katrina Spade e Tom Almeida” ◾ Katrina Spade é empresária e designer. É bacharel em Antropologia pelo Haverford College e mestre em Arquitetura pela University of Massachusetts Amherst. Já foi destaque no Guardian, NPR, Wired, Fast Company, PEOPLE Magazine e NYTimes. Durante seu mestrado, criou um sistema para transformar os mortos em solo (agora chamado de redução orgânica natural). Em 2014, fundou o Projeto Sem Fins Lucrativos Urban Death (Morte Urbana) para chamar atenção para os problemas gerados por uma indústria funerária tóxica e prejudicial. Já em 2017, fundou a Recompose, uma empresa de utilidade pública! A Recompose liderou esforços bem-sucedidos na legalização da redução da matéria orgânica natural em três estados americanos e, em 2020, abriu a primeira instalação no mundo a oferecer esta opção de tratamento ecológico da morte ao público. Tom Almeida é fundador do Movimento inFINITO, especialista em Luto e coautor dos livros "Luto por perdas não legitimadas na atualidade" e "Quando a Morte chega em casa". ➡ Conversa retirada do “Festival inFINITO 2021”. ➡ O áudio está em inglês, mas você pode assistir a conversa legendada aqui: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdVf1EAFJ8Y&ab_channel=MovimentoinFINITO ▪ ▶ Aperte o play para ouvir!

What do you want to happen to your body when you die?  It's a touchy topic where tradition, religion and death denial all come into play.  But across much of the world, there are just two options: burial and cremation, which both have substantial ecological impacts. In 2019, Washington State passed SB 5001, which legalized several new options for deathcare. In this episode, host Jeff Emtman visits Return Home, a facility in Auburn, Washington that's using one of those new options, called “Natural Organic Reduction” (NOR) which is commonly called “human composting”.  Return Home has built the world's largest NOR facility to date, with 74 available individual vessels.  Their process (which they've trademarked as “Terramation”) takes about two month to complete, and involves dressing a deceased person in a pressed cotton gown and placing them a bed of organic material, and left to naturally break down using active composting techniques that bring the contents of the vessel to well above 100° Fahrenheit for much of the composting period. The techniques used by Return Home were largely inspired by Katrina Spade, a death activist and the owner of Re:Compose, another NOR facility located near Seattle.  Spade was one of the people who strongly advocated for the passage of SB 5001.There's currently one other NOR facility in Washington State: Herland Forrest in Wahkiacus.  Currently two other states, Colorado and Oregon have legalized NOR.  NOR's future isn't known.  It's new and still relatively rare. Do enough people want to be composted to have it be a viable business model? Each of these companies have different approaches to their process.  Return Home's model relies on scale.  They wouldn't disclose the exact cost of building their facility, or how many simultaneous descendants they'd need in their facility to be profitable.  As of publishing, they charge $4,950 for their process and they have 15 of their 74 slots occupied.  And in some ways, the full ecological benefits for Return Home's process also rely on scale.  In a follow up email, CEO Micah Truman stated that “We calculate our inputs as follows. Our electricity bill each month is about $1,700, and is sufficient to Terramate 74 bodies. This comes to $22 per body. In current gas terms ($5 a gallon at present) that is roughly 4 gallons of gas, which is about 1/8 the amount of gas used for cremation. The number is actually quite a bit better than that, as our electricity bill also powers our entire facility, not just the Terramation equipment.”When asked about the relative emptiness of the facility, Katey Houston (Return Home's Services Manager) said, “The funeral industry is so slow to change. When cremation became a thing, it took sixty years to become mainstream.  The fact that we've served just over thirty families now in four months, is quite amazing.  And we've continued to grow month-over-month, and that's all I can ask for.”Thank you Hannah Suzanna for help with research for this episode. Here Be Monsters is an independent, listener supported podcast.  Consider supporting the show on Patreon. Producer: Jeff EmtmanMusic: The Black Spot and SerocellSponsor: Sleep With Me PodcastSleep With Me is a podcast that helps you fall asleep.  Host Drew Ackerman tells tangential stories, reads old catalogs, makes metaphors about washing machines, and does other calming things all in pursuit of slowing your mind down and letting you drift off to sleep more peacefully.  Subscribe to Sleep With Me on any podcast app.

What do you want to happen to your body when you die? It's a touchy topic where tradition, religion and death denial all come into play. But across much of the world, there are just two options: burial and cremation, which both have substantial ecological impacts. In 2019, Washington State passed SB 5001, which legalized several new options for deathcare. In this episode, host Jeff Emtman visits Return Home, a facility in Auburn, Washington that's using one of those new options, called “Natural Organic Reduction” (NOR) which is commonly called “human composting”. Return Home has built the world's largest NOR facility to date, with 74 available individual vessels. Their process (which they've trademarked as “Terramation”) takes about two month to complete, and involves dressing a deceased person in a pressed cotton gown and placing them a bed of organic material, and left to naturally break down using active composting techniques that bring the contents of the vessel to well above 100° Fahrenheit for much of the composting period. The techniques used by Return Home were largely inspired by Katrina Spade, a death activist and the owner of Recompose, another NOR facility located near Seattle. Spade was one of the people who strongly advocated for the passage of SB 5001.There's currently one other NOR facility in Washington State: Herland Forrest in Wahkiacus. Currently two other states, Colorado and Oregon have legalized NOR. NOR's future isn't known. It's new and still relatively rare. Do enough people want to be composted to have it be a viable business model? Each of these companies have different approaches to their process. Return Home's model relies on scale. They wouldn't disclose the exact cost of building their facility, or how many simultaneous descendants they'd need in their facility to be profitable. As of publishing, they charge $4,950 for their process and they have 15 of their 74 slots occupied. And in some ways, the full ecological benefits for Return Home's process also rely on scale. In a follow up email, CEO Micah Truman stated that “We calculate our inputs as follows. Our electricity bill each month is about $1,700, and is sufficient to Terramate 74 bodies. This comes to $22 per body. In current gas terms ($5 a gallon at present) that is roughly 4 gallons of gas, which is about 1/8 the amount of gas used for cremation. The number is actually quite a bit better than that, as our electricity bill also powers our entire facility, not just the Terramation equipment.”When asked about the relative emptiness of the facility, Katey Houston (Return Home's Services Manager) said, “The funeral industry is so slow to change. When cremation became a thing, it took sixty years to become mainstream. The fact that we've served just over thirty families now in four months, is quite amazing. And we've continued to grow month-over-month, and that's all I can ask for.”Thank you Hannah Suzanna for help with research for this episode. Here Be Monsters is an independent, listener supported podcast. Consider supporting the show on Patreon. Producer: Jeff EmtmanMusic: The Black Spot and SerocellSponsor: Sleep With Me PodcastSleep With Me is a podcast that helps you fall asleep. Host Drew Ackerman tells tangential stories, reads old catalogs, makes metaphors about washing machines, and does other calming things all in pursuit of slowing your mind down and letting you drift off to sleep more peacefully. Subscribe to Sleep With Me on any podcast app.

From our planet's underwater caves to its ancient soils, there are entire worlds right beneath our feet. This hour, we explore the subterranean forces that shape our lives above the ground. Guests include cave diver Jill Heinerth, death care advocate Katrina Spade, soil scientist Asmeret Asefaw Berhe, and paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim.

Conventional funerary practices are environmentally problematic. Each year, 2.7 million people die in the US, and most are buried in a conventional cemetery or cremated. Cremation burns fossil fuels and emits carbon dioxide and particulates into the atmosphere, while burial consumes valuable urban land, pollutes the soil, and contributes to climate change through the resource-intensive manufacture and transport of caskets, headstones, and grave liners. Today's guest, Katrina Spade, knew there had to be a better way.For the show notes, visit: https://www.lifteconomy.com/blog/katrina-spadeSubscribe to Next Economy Now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Google Podcasts, YouTube, or wherever you find podcasts.---LIFT Economy NewsletterJoin 7000+ subscribers and get our free 60 point business design checklist—plus monthly tips, advice, and resources to help you build the Next Economy: https://lifteconomy.com/newsletter---Next Economy MBAThis episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).The Next Economy MBA is a nine month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.Join the growing network of 250+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.---Show Notes + Other LinksFor detailed show notes and interviews with past guests, please visit https://lifteconomy.com/podcastIf you enjoy the podcast, please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts by visiting:  https://bit.ly/nexteconomynowTwitter: https://twitter.com/LIFTEconomyInstagram: https://instagram.com/lifteconomy/Facebook: https://facebook.com/LIFTEconomy/YouTube: https://youtube.com/c/LifteconomyMusic by Chris Zabriskie: https://chriszabriskie.com/The spring cohort of the Next Economy MBA is officially open! Save 20% when you register before 1/29 with our early-bird sale ➡️ https://lifteconomy.com/mba

Summary: In this episode, Capital Insight co-hosts and securities attorneys Jenny Kassan and Michelle Thimesch talk with Katrina Spade of Recompose, a full-service funeral home specializing in human composting. Listen to catch Katrina's insight into the process of raising capital for a business that was still not legal when it started and how to stay true to your vision even when you need large amounts of capital to get your business off the ground. Bio: Katrina Spade is a designer and the inventor of a system that transforms the dead into soil (aka human composting). In 2017, Katrina founded Recompose with the goal of offering earth-centric, participatory, and meaningful death care. Recompose has led the successful legalization of human composting in Washington State, Oregon, and Colorado. In 2020, Recompose began offering the service of human composting to the public. Katrina and her team have been featured in Fast Company, NPR, the Atlantic, BBC, Harper's Magazine, and the New York Times. She is an Echoing Green Fellow, an Ashoka fellow, and a Harvard Kennedy School Visiting Social Innovator. Key quotes: “I knew that the world wanted this, and I knew that it was going to take a pretty good amount of capital.” “One of the reasons I did not want to create a for-profit was that I was afraid of losing the values that I had set up in my non-profit.” “I founded Recompose as a for-profit company that has in its bylaws environmental or social goals that sit alongside profit goals. It was a way to start signaling to investors that we weren't just about profit. Recompose is very much about an environmental and social goal: the environmental goal is creating new soil and saving carbon and reducing the pollution that happens with our [current] funeral practices - creating this beautiful ecological wealth-building practice instead. And the social goals have to do with accepting our mortality and thinking more deeply about how we're connected to the natural world as humans. That was the first thing we did to signal to investors that this is a different kind of company.” Links/socials/contact: Company website: https://recompose.life/ Company instagram: @recomposelife Entrepreneur instagram: @katrinaspade Company twitter: @recomposelife Email: info@recompose.life Angels of Main Street: https://www.angelsofmainstreet.com/

Whether we like it or not, one fact of modern living is that every day we're creating greenhouse gas emissions and other pollution. But should our final act on the earthly stage also necessitate one last pollutive hurrah?  Katrina Spade is on a mission to offer a better way to deal with human corpses, and it involves a process called natural organic reduction. It's essentially a fancy way of saying she's invented a method of accelerated composting for your body. Rather than cremating your corpse, which involves substantial pollution, and rather than burial, which typically means sealing your body off from nature with concrete liners, hermetically sealed caskets, preservatives in your body, and more, Katrina wants to turn your body into healthy, rich soil, within just one month. After founding Recompose, Katrina helped change laws in three states now (Washington, Oregon, and Colorado) to allow her method, and has already opened an operational human composting facility in Seattle. In addition to dozens of composts completed, they have nearly 1,000 paying customers who've already pre-ordered their own composting, just in the same way you might pre-order a plot in a cemetery.  So far Recompose has raised about $12 million from investors (including author Margaret Atwood!) and is just getting started in their effort to empower you to give nutrients back to the planet when you're done with your body.

Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of Recompose, joins the show to discuss the journey into natural organic reduction and how Recompose works. To learn more about Recompose visit: https://recompose.life/ To learn more about Undertaking: The Podcast visit: https://www.undertakingthepodcast.com/

Sure, we’re all going to die, but does that mean we can’t still be useful? Like, afterwards? We tackle the sensitive issue of human composting with the CEO of a company that does just that — Katrina Spade of “Recompose.” Plus, we’re somehow soaring up the comedy charts in Thailand! No, really. Our crack research staff (Captain Crinkle) gives us a full report on our new fans’ homeland. GUEST Katrina Spade Founder & CEO, Recompose recompose.life HOUSE BAND Harry Orlove Electric 12 string guitar. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the first time ever, Katrina Spade from Recompose, Walt Patrick from the Herland Forest, and Micah Truman from Return Home sit down in the same interview and discuss Natural Organic Reduction. And they did it on the Washington State Funeral Director Associations show #MemberTalks! Check it out.

Where do we go when we die? How about a garden, or forest? Washington’s first funeral home offering you the chance to become compost opened in Kent last year. We talk with founder Katrina Spade.Guest: Katrina Spade, founder and CEO of RecomposeLike what you hear? Help us make our spring membership drive goal!Donate at bit.ly/seattlenow

Welcome back to the Find Me in Seattle Podcast, Episode 008! This week is snowy and cold in Seattle but that didn't stop me from discovering some wonderful people and places around the city. In the news this week, Mayor Jenny Durkan and the City of Seattle awarded the winner of the new Small Business Stabilization Pilot Program to assist eight Seattle "micro businesses." All eight winners, who were either women-owned or minority-owned business, each will receive $25,000 grants to be used to cover "day-to-day operating expenses of the business, such as payroll or losses due to destabilizing events." Check out the article form the Capitol Hill Seattle Blog. The headline of this week's show was "Seattle Will Have Nation's First Human Composting Site." In May 2019, Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation making Washington the first state to approve composting as an alternative to cremation or burial. CEO of Recompose, Katrina Spade has created a process that involves composting a human body in individual containers with alfalfa, straw and wood chips. A month later, a square yard of soil is available for the family to plant in a home, or spread in another dedicated space. The Meal of the Week comes from Dolar Shop Hop Pot in the Bravern building of Downtown Bellevue. The highlights of the meal included getting your own individual hot pot for your choice of broth. We ordered a tower of assorted beef and lamb, a bowl of vegetables, handmade noodles, and the kicker at the end, a vanilla soft serve ice cream cone. The Featured Business of the Week is the Puget Sound Company. They are an 8 member a capella group based in Seattle. They invited me to watch their rehearsal leading up to the Seattle A Capella Festival at Benaroya Hall on Wednesday Jan 15th. Thank you so much for watching and listening to Episode 008 of the Find Me in Seattle Podcast!

My name is Valerie Vetter and this programme is about planning my funeral. I'll be speaking to a range of people from end-of-life experts to funeral directors to celebrants so I can get a sense of what you need to consider when planning ahead. On my journey, I visit Angela Edghill in the Irish Hospice Foundation to learn about 'good death' and Advance Care Directives, funeral directory Peter Maguire of Massey Bros, academic Dr Kevin Myers, civil funeral celebrant Padraic Cawley, green graveyard owner Colin McAteer, Mt Jerome Crematorium director Alan Massey, Fergus Jamieson of Celestis and Katrina Spade of Recompose.

Forgo the casket or the fire and instead, naturally decompose back into soil? Today's conversation with Katrina Spade of Recompose, an alternative to conventional burial or cremation, has the answers. We talk all about how it works, how long it takes (you'd be surprised!), and how it's an incredible opportunity to reconnect with the planet. Do yourself and the earth a favour and learn all about natural organic reduction! Check out Recompose's Website: https://www.recompose.life/ Invest in Recompose: https://www.recompose.life/invest Follow Katrina on Twitter: @recomposelife New episodes every Sunday. You can find the podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Anchor, Overcast and more. Contact us at practicallyzerowaste@gmail.com Instagram @practicallyzerowastepod and @elsbethcallaghan Facebook Practically Zero Waste Podcast Support the podcast at www.anchor.fm/practicallyzerowaste/support Have a great week! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/practicallyzerowaste/message

Join us on Women Lead Radio as Quyen Tu, your host of Doing Good is Good for Business, has a conversation with Katrina Spade, Founder and CEO of Recompose, on how to handle death in an environmentally friendly manner. Interested in Learning More About Connected Women of Influence? Click Here to Be Invited as Our Special VIP & Guest to a Future Event! Interested in Becoming a Member of Our Professional Community!? Click Here to Apply for Membership!

Katrina Spade is popularizing the idea of 'Recomposition', a green burial method that converts human remains into soil. It's among the most promising eco-friendly options that may be available in the near future. She discusses this unorthodox alternative to cremation and how it's rise could change our approach to saying goodbye.

What do you get when you cross a “non-religious” person with an eco-freak? You get a devotee of human composting. And by that, I don’t mean humans who compost. I mean humans who are turned into compost—after death, of course. Lesbian Katrina Spade has been promoting the eco-friendly composting of human remains since 2014 when she founded the Urban Death Project, since renamed Recomposed. Get it? Composting humans is recast as re-composing them, kind of like re-purposing them. What the new name loses in forthrightness, it gains in marketability.

This past weekend, I contacted a committed Christian friend who is a public middle school administrator in another state to ask if his school mandates that staff, faculty, and administrators use incorrect pronouns when referring to “trans”-identifying students. He responded that his school does not currently have any such students; that neither the administration nor school board has discussed the issue; and that if or when a “trans”-identifying student demands to be referred to by incorrect pronouns, the administration will consult school attorneys about what to do. I was, as the British say, gobsmacked. READ MORE…

Forever is a really long time. This episode is about death, and its transformative power on the landscape. It’s also the last episode of Season 1. It may be trivial to remind you that death is an unavoidable part of life. However, death is an act that leaves ripples in life. Some may last for thousands of years.⁣⁣ You might expect us to talk about new sustainable burial technologies (See: Jae Rhim Lee & Katrina Spade), and honestly so did we. As we started working on it, we realized that we would rather let TED Talks handle that sort of thing. Instead, this episode takes a broad view through the lens of ritual, urban planning, and ecological entanglements, with a distinct focus on the Salish Sea. It’s been a huge honour to bring you all of these stories over the past 5 months. This seemed like the most appropriate way to close out our first season. We can’t wait to bring you Season 2! For extended show notes, musical credits and more, head to www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe-1-11-funerary-ecologies (http://www.futureecologies.net/listen/fe-1-11-funerary-ecologies) Support this podcast

This week on The Earth Wants YOU! The West Virginia Teacher's strike! 1.5 million penguins are found in the Antartic, Katrina Spade comes in to talk about body composting and environmentally friendly ways of getting rid of corpses. Savitri and Billy discuss dreams and Billy reads a tweet.

What if our bodies could help grow new life after we die, instead of being embalmed and buried or turned to ash? Join Katrina Spade as she discusses "recomposition" -- a system that uses the natural decomposition process to turn our deceased into life-giving soil, honoring both the earth and the departed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Was wäre, wenn aus unserem Leichnam neues Leben entstehen könnte, anstatt dass er nach unserem Tod einbalsamiert und begraben oder zu Asche verbrannt wird? Katrina Spade erzählt von "Rekompostierung" – einem System, das auf einem natürlichen Zersetzungsprozess basiert, um Verstorbene in lebensspendende Erde zu verwandeln und dabei sowohl die Umwelt als auch die Verstorbenen zu ehren.

¿Qué pasaría si en lugar de ser embalsamados y enterrados o incinerados, nuestro cuerpo pudiera contribuir a crear una nueva vida después de morir? Únase a Katrina Spade en su conversación sobre la "recomposición", un sistema que usa el proceso de descomposición natural para convertir a nuestro difunto en un suelo que da vida, honrando así tanto la tierra como a los difuntos.

Et si au lieu d’être embaumé, enterré ou incinéré, nos corps pouvaient aider à cultiver une vie nouvelle après notre mort ? Rejoignez Katrina Spade, qui discute de la « recomposition » : une méthode qui utilise le processus naturel de décomposition pour transformer nos défunts en terre qui donne la vie, honorant ainsi à la fois la terre et les défunts.

E se, em vez de sermos embalsamados e sepultados, ou cremados, nossos corpos pudessem ajudar a gerar vida nova depois da nossa morte? Assista a Katrina Spade falar sobre compostagem, um sistema que usa o processo natural de decomposição para transformar nossas entes queridos falecidos em solo rico em vida, honrando tanto a terra quando os que se foram.

우리의 몸을 방부처리해서 묻거나 화장하는 대신 우리가 죽은 후에 우리의 몸이 새 생명을 키우는데 도움을 줄 수 있다면 어떨까요? 카트리나 스페이드가 자연 분해 절차를 이용해 우리의 죽은 몸을 생명을 주는 토양으로 바꾸는, 지구와 망자를 모두 기리는 "재구성"에 대해 이야기하는데 함께 해주세요.

What if our bodies could help grow new life after we die, instead of being embalmed and buried or turned to ash? Join Katrina Spade as she discusses "recomposition" -- a system that uses the natural decomposition process to turn our deceased into life-giving soil, honoring both the earth and the departed.

The post Episode 21: Katrina Spade – The Urban Death Project appeared first on Death By Design, End Of Life Planning, Pallative, Hospice. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Urban Death Project founder Katrina Spade shares her concept of deathcare completely reimagined. The innovative architect has a developed a genuinely green alternative to burial and cremation where we can compost our bodies after we die. urbandeathproject.org

After being disappointed with the options available for non-traditional burial Katrina Spade sought out ways to lay your loved ones to rest without wasting burial materials or contaminating the soil. With a background in architecture and anthropology she came up with the idea for The Urban Death Project for which she has received an Echoing Green Fellowship.   Longstanding Habits Jogging, to increase clarity Cultivating New Habits Downtime with friends and family Environmental Resource Yestermorrow Design/Build School offers hands-on workshops in sustainable design, construction, woodworking, and architectural craft. Sustainable Mindset Book The World Without Us by Alan Weisman