Human composting

Human composting

On September 18, Cali Gov Gavin Newsom made human composting legal. The Guardian says it’s an eco-friendly alternative to cremation or burial. Cali’s the 5th state to legalize the practice

Yahoo explains how it works: Take a body, put it in a box with a bunch of organic matter and warm air, and wait! After 1-4 months, it turns into a few hundred pounds of rich soil, which families often take home

The Undark org is all in! Burial and cremation are both pretty darn bad for the environment. Human composing is a great solution -- it just needs to be more accessible

An SF Chronicle Op also loves it: The funeral industry is seriously *so* bad for the planet. And Californians are especially eco-conscious, so good on Newsom for signing

The CEO of Return Home, a human composting company, writes in Newsweek: “This is the most moving, most meaningful work I’ve ever done. It’s good for the planet, but it’s good for people too”

And Mic points out that while it seems novel, this really isn’t anything new. “Green burial” was the standard for most of human history, and still is in Muslim and Jewish communities

But one group is very anti: The Catholic Church. They say human composting disrespects the dead, and point out that it’s the same process used on livestock -- CNA

And SF Gate points out there are other ethical issues at play too, especially around what people can do with the soil afterward

The Sun spoke to one woman whose late husband was composted. She said it was the perfect option -- he was a passionate compost and organic farming advocate, and this was the right way to honor him