Witnessing the Changes Around Funerals and Burials

Presentation at the Sustainable economies Law Center (Credit: SevenPonds)

I attended a recent event in San Francisco to help support the green burial and natural death care movement. For those who are unaware of just what green burial is you can read about it on SevenPonds here or natural death care here.

Janelle Orsi of The San Francisco Sustainable Economies Law Center sponsored an evening “Re-envisioning Funerals and Burials: A Discussion on New Practices and Needed Policies.” A panel of speakers took a look at all aspects of the funeral process including sea burial and private cemetery plots, but green burial and natural death care were in the forefront. Many experts in the industry attended, but individuals who had a loss or were considering their own disposition also joined in. This made for an interesting evening with all the types of policies and disposition methods discussed, including urban composting. And yes it is just as it sounds human composting but far in the future to becoming a reality.

Urban Death Project developing human composting in the future
(Credit: urbandeathproject.com)

The evening began with a presentation on the history of death care. Natural death care and green burial are not new practices, just simply rituals that family members historically performed to care for their dead. In the late 1800s (during the Civil War), the funeral profession evolved, and funeral homes took over the role of preparing a loved one for a funeral.

Green burial
(Credit: theselc.org)

What came out of the evening were some good points to consider. The average person is unaware of their option to have a loved one at home and simply be with the body to say goodbye or have a home funeral. This loving practice will grow as family members understand their rights and take control as they choose. They have the legal right to bring a loved one home who has died in a hospital or an assisted living facility. A family member also has the right to file their own death certificate, although some states (like California) make this difficult with an electronic death registration system that only a funeral home can access.

All in all, it was a great evening towards building awareness and pushing the right for families to do as they wish when a beloved dies. To spend their loving last moments with the body and to hold personalized ceremonies wherever they choose.

I thank everyone who spoke and offered their expertise. I also thank Tom Long, founder of Grounded Guild, for making it happen to push the US one more important step forward to a different world where everyone is empowered to do as they wish.