Today, families are seeking new, creative options for their funerals, and green values are a key influence. As the world becomes more eco-conscious, people are taking steps to do right by the environment wherever they can – and taking those values to the grave. So, your environmentally-friendly families are growing in number, but there’s no single, right way to serve them. Finding attractive options for your families and your business can leave you with a lot of questions and ideas, but not a lot of solutions and plans.

The 2022 Green Funeral Conference brought together funeral professionals from across the spectrum of green funeral practice at the Sandia Resort & Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico over September 13-15, 2022. Hosted by CANA and Passages International, more than 50 funeral professionals from across the country – from all stages of their careers, a variety of backgrounds, and representing many different businesses – attended to get ideas on incorporating green practices into their operations. Whether that’s expanding cemetery offerings, adding new disposition techniques, or considering new products, everyone left inspired to serve their communities in new ways.
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We’ve condensed the insights from presenters and discussion into a downloadable pdf to help you explore ways to incorporate eco-conscious values into funeral services. Here’s some highlights:

CANA Executive Director Barbara Kemmis led participants through an interactive presentation and discussion about common language regarding green funeral practices.
Key Takeaways:

• Terms like conventional or traditional burial are being reclaimed by natural and green burial practitioners for the simple fact that these practices have been used throughout human history.
• Participants preferred using environmentally-friendly, as opposed to the terms green or eco-friendly, to encompass the spectrum of options for burial which may include or forego the casket, liner, embalming and more.
• They noted the commonalities of cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, and natural organic reduction are the reduction of human remains in a facility and a vessel/chamber and quicker than any type of burial. However, both the manner and results of the processes are uniquely different from a practitioner standpoint. These similarities and differences require further consumer – and practitioner – education.
• While the accurate term for the bone fragments remaining after a cremation of a body is cremated remains, the general public still uses the word ashes. Cremation professionals agreed that mirroring that language to connect and not correct during conversations is valid, but it can cause confusion when what’s returned to the family does not resemble fireplace ashes. Similarly, the use of the term alternative container begs the question “alternative to what?” and causes the need for more consumer education.
• Participants all agreed that language matters, and engaging in conversation about these terms with the profession and in education to the community is important. Having these conversations now helps funeral professionals find commonality and agreement to move positively toward the future and avoid the mistakes of the past which created division and defensiveness.

Want to keep reading? Download the Insights from the 2022 Green Funeral Conference paper now and kick-off the conversation in your business!

Consumers are choosing environmentally-friendly solutions for a variety of reasons: concern for the environment, enthusiasm for innovative ideas, the desire to do something new or to adhere to cultural or religious tradition going back centuries. The variety of reasons is only outnumbered by the variety of options for them to personalize their experience. As a funeral professional dedicated to serving your community where they are, you will meet people across the green spectrum. Being informed about these practices is why they chose you to offer guidance and expertise in their funeral plans. 

Be sure to mark your calendars for February 14-16, 2024 when we resume the green conversation at CANA’s 2024 Symposium in Las Vegas! There, CANA will bring together expert practitioners, innovative suppliers, and curious professionals to continue exploring and discovering environmentally-friendly options and how we can make a difference in our communities.

The funeral industry is not exempt from start-ups and innovative ideas that go nowhere. I’m sure you could think of one yourself – one of them might even have been yours – but I won’t call out any here.
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That’s why it’s not wholly surprising that the most common question I get from the media, regulators, and curious practitioners is “Is human composting real?” To which I say, “Yes.”
There is a unique energy around legalizing natural organic reduction, in that most legislation has been consumer-driven, with support from practitioners. As one of the most progressive organizations in this space, CANA is the first death care association to answer these questions and provide insight from a funeral profession perspective. Informed by more than 100 years of experience in emerging technologies, we were eager to host some of the earliest NOR practitioners at our events and offered opportunities for question-and-answer sessions to explore this groundbreaking idea. Now we can compile what we know – and what we have yet to figure out – here, for you.

Natural Organic Reduction, also known as, NOR and Natural Reduction are the terms used in legislation and regulations related to this process, so that’s how CANA refers to it. More commonly used terms by the media or general public are Human Composting, Soil Transformation, or Body Composting, which are descriptive and useful for understanding the process more broadly. Some practitioners have coined proprietary terms like Terramation and Recomposition to describe their specific business offerings.

NOR was first legalized in 2019 in Washington. Colorado and Oregon followed in 2021 and Vermont and California in 2022, with several other states considering the practice in the coming years. To legislators, it is a thing.

But what kind of thing? Here’s where it can get interesting.

Compost is organic material that has decomposed to a nutrient-rich soil. At home, compost is food scraps and yard waste. For farms, it might be the livestock or the crops after harvest. Soil is, in fact, a mixture of decomposed organic matter with other naturally occurring elements like gases, liquids, living organisms, etc.

Once the waste decomposes, it can’t be separated from the other soil around it to say “that’s the orange peel, that’s the eggshell, and that’s the dandelion” — it’s all one piece of earth.

Human composting is the same but different. First, you can’t add a human body to your compost barrel: it’s illegal and it’s not what most people have in mind when they think of a proper send-off. Second, humans are large animals and require a sizeable quantity of other organic material to mix with during decomposition. Plus, anyone who composts knows that you need to keep air circulating and bacteria alive so that the matter decays rather than molds or rots. For human composting, this is where the professionals come in.

The interest in composting for human disposition is not new. Mary Roach’s Stiff, first published in 2003, shares the story of Tim Evans, then a graduate student at the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, who working to find a way to compost human remains. Evans had to aerate the compost pile and acknowledged that “It was hard being out there” to properly tend to the composting remains. The real need was to make composting doable within a reasonable timeframe, in compliance with regulations regarding body disposition, and in an acceptable manner for families.

SAME BUT DIFFERENT

In all states, the law allows for cremation and burial. As we’ve discussed before, some states have expanded their cremation law to include alkaline hydrolysis (aka water cremation, Aquamation, Resomation, etc.) Burial is easiest to understand: intact body placed in the ground (or crypt, mausoleum, etc.). Cremation and alkaline hydrolysis take the intact body, put it through a process using a combination of heat and/or chemicals so that just the bone matter of the body remains. But NOR takes an intact body and goes through a process that results in soil. There are no ashes to place or keep or scatter, no DNA to identify your loved one from other soil, generally no way of preventing comingling of remains with others’ (often prohibited in all cremation laws), and maybe not even a place to visit (depending on where the soil ends up).

When Katrina Spade and Recompose were exploring how to get Recomposition legalized in Washington State, the process was not legal anywhere in the world. With input from law professor Tanya Marsh, who focuses on funeral law, the company decided that the most straightforward way of bringing NOR to the public would be to create a new statute for human reduction. That’s why some states are creating a new disposition category of “reduction of human remains” with subcategories for cremation, AH and NOR. The common factor in each is that they accelerate the reduction of human remains in a facility, using specially designed equipment.
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It is CANA’s position that natural organic reduction is a unique form of disposition, not a type of cremation, and should be regulated separately. This means there are three ways of reducing a human body more quickly than burial: cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, and reduction. Each offers a unique process that requires specific equipment and training, and provides choice for families to do what feels right to them.

The differences we’ve described, as seen in the chart above, are the reason that these three reduction methods must be regulated separately. While the core of a death care professional’s job doesn’t change with the process — they take custody of the deceased, care for their loved ones, carry out the family’s wishes, and ensure that the remains get where they need to go with dignity and care — the processes themselves are very different.

The funeral profession’s first concern is always the dignified treatment of the deceased, and in the case of new processes that requires the training and knowledge to do it right. For regulators, that means setting the standard to measure the safety and ability to perform the process. This includes considerations for location and traffic, the environment and emissions, and employee health and safety. Both funeral professionals and regulators are dedicated to providing options to the public that meet all expectations for safety and excellence.

An internet search will highlight a few practitioners in the Pacific Northwest and the American Southwest who appear in news articles discussing this new option for consumers. Because human reduction is only beginning to be legalized, there are currently few options for the public to choose NOR. Funeral homes that currently offer NOR have carefully created their own vessels and developed their own technology, processes and proprietary mixes of organic material to reduce a human body to soil. That means that the process is pretty much limited to those who are willing to undertake the same sort of research and development process themselves. The only other option is for existing practitioners who offer NOR to partner with other funeral service providers to serve their families – though some of these providers are already operating at capacity.

Current cremation and alkaline hydrolysis regulations require equipment manufactured specifically for the process (hence, purpose-built). They require this to standardize the process and ensure the health and safety of the operators and public seeking these options. The lack of manufacturers of body composting vessels is a barrier to entry for many who would add it as an option for their communities – at least for the moment.

Without the uniform equipment, each practitioner’s process is proprietary, but there are a few things about the science in current methods that are universal. First, the only things that go in the vessel are organic matter. That means the body, either bare or shrouded only in organic natural fibers, the plant matter and bacteria, and little else. Brie Smith of Return Home advises families that, “If it can go through your gut, it can go through our vessel,” meaning that families can place meaningful keepsakes in, too, so long as they can be composted. Unwrapped Twinkies? Yes! That penny you swallowed on a dare? No—or rather: it’s going to come out the other side.

The reduction of the body takes anywhere from 7 weeks to 12 months, depending on the practitioner and their process. Loved ones are encouraged to be present when the body is placed, or “laid in," and to visit during the reduction. During the transformation, the vessel will run hot, spiking more than 130°F as microbes get to work. This high temperature also kills pathogens, bacteria and viruses that might be present in the body (though some medical conditions prevent NOR and some viruses and prions are not killed by NOR). Each provider also has a proprietary method for ensuring that air and matter circulates so the compost process generates soil.

When the process is complete, families can receive approximately 27 cubic feet of soil from the reduction of their loved one – enough to fill the bed of a pickup truck. As Earth Funeral Group of Washington says, “The nutrient-rich soil created during the process is used for land restoration and improving soil health. Healthy soil is paramount to a healthy ecosystem as it filters water, provides nutrients to plants and animals, sequesters carbon, reduces landslides and flooding, and helps regulate global temperatures.”

For a farmer or gardener, this volume of soil can be wonderful. Others can choose to take a portion of the soil to use on their own property or to keep at home in an urn or jewelry or some other keepsake, just as they do with cremated remains (though the soil needs to be sufficiently dry first). Remaining soil is then spread by the practitioner in nature. The Natural Funeral in Colorado offers a “laying out” ceremony when the resulting soil is spread on personal or public lands.

Cremation has gained popularity over the past 50 years largely because it offered an alternative to burial. It offered new options and captured the imagination of people seeking a new ways of personalizing their funeral. As in life, people want to express their values in death. Providing diverse options are good for families to personalize their experience. NOR practitioners report that their early adopters are “a diverse mix of people from all over” – that’s why so many states are moving quickly to make the option legal.

While there is opposition to the practice from outside and inside funeral service, there is an energy for NOR that we don’t see very often in funeral disposition legalization. The general public is excited for the option, legislators are energized to bring innovative ideas to the fore, and practitioners are curious if the participation in CANA’s recent events is anything to go by. Some funeral homes are poised to bring NOR to their community as soon as they can.
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Any time I’m asked about a new form of disposition, the inevitable next question is how fast it will grow. Will NOR replace cremation? Or will it speed up the decline of burials? Would early adopters have chosen burial or cremation if NOR was not an option? As I often say, my crystal ball is broken. Only time will tell. CANA’s own statistics show that, like widespread adoption of any new technology, a critical mass must make that choice before it takes off. CANA’s Annual Statistics Report will be tracking these data as the law changes to allow this form of disposition, so look for more content on the topic.

​1. MEET LIKE-MINDED PROFESSIONALS IN THE INDUSTRY

Our industry is evolving, and it’s important to meet and speak with other professionals (like yourself) who want to position themselves to best serve today’s funeral family. This event brings together business owners, decision-makers, and other key people that understand the future of the changing funeral landscape. These people understand that ignoring the evolution of our industry is short-term thinking and leaves a funeral business vulnerable in the long term.

The Green Funeral Conference brings together a tight group of individuals, and networking opportunities are built into the program. In addition to a full day and a half of educational sessions, there will be a welcome reception at the Sandia Resort, a cocktail reception at Passages International’s headquarters in Albuquerque, and more opportunities to meet and get to know your colleagues in other areas.

2. LEARN ABOUT THE LATEST IN GREEN FUNERAL ALTERNATIVES AND OPTIONS

The speakers and panels that have been assembled cover a wide array of topics, including cutting-edge new processes like Natural Organic Reduction, the basics and specifics of actually conducting a green burial, a case study of a funeral home boosting their business by offering greener cremation options, and discussions on how to market to today’s environmentally aware audience successfully.
Traditional burial has remained relatively the same for decades, but the non-traditional sector is constantly evolving. It’s important to understand the spectrum of green options available for burial, cremation, and scattering, as well as the “shades of green” in funeral options, and how to incorporate them into your presentation to families.

3. VISIT BEAUTIFUL ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO

The desert Southwest is a striking place to visit. Our venue, the Sandia Resort & Casino, is a tribal venue on native reservation land nestled against the Sandia Mountains (named for their dramatic watermelon-pink color during sunset). Early mornings in Fall you can see hot air balloons accenting the sky and the Sandia Mountain foothills offer amazing views and hiking trails not far from the venue.

New Mexico’s capital, Santa Fe, is one of the oldest cities in the country (founded in 1607), and the blend of Native American, Spanish, and Mexican influences is clearly evident in New Mexican architecture, food, and culture. Attendees will have access to the venue’s world-class spa, golf course, music amphitheater, and more! Don’t forget to ask for green or red chile with your meals, you won’t be sorry.

4. ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSIONS, PANELS, AND HANDS-ON DEMONSTRATIONS

The size of this conference caters itself perfectly to a discussion-based, hands-on experience. There will be roundtable discussions where attendees will sit with an expert or presenter to discuss different topics in a face-to-face environment. We will also have hands-on demonstrations on practical topics, like how to wrap a body with a biodegradable burial shroud.

Panels of speakers open up discussion-focused sessions, where participants can ask questions or bring up topics directly with the speaking experts. There is also value in seeing experts discuss the topics with each other, to better understand the different opinions, principles, or ideas within the industry, and how they can be applied to your business.

5. JOIN PASSAGES INTERNATIONAL FOR A COCKTAIL PARTY AND TOUR OF THEIR FACILITY

Passages International is the largest supplier of green and non-traditional funeral options, from caskets for green burial to greener cremation options, such as bamboo cremation containers and biodegradable urns for earth or water scattering. Passages will be hosting a cocktail reception at their headquarters, not far from our venue. You will have an opportunity to tour the facility, enjoy drinks and hors d'oeuvres with other attendees, and to get your hands on biodegradable funeral products.

Plenty of associations are concerned about greenwashing. But with PR spin and lack of transparency, it can be difficult to know what’s greenwashed and what’s just plain green. So if you want to fight it, take a cue from the playbook of an association built on an anti-greenwashing mission.

Since its inception in 2005, the Green Burial Council (GBC) has fought to bring greenwashing to light in the funeral industry. The association provides third-party oversight to ensure that natural burial options marketed as “green” are indeed environmentally friendly.

“When [founder] Joe Sehee became interested in this movement, he realized there weren’t really any standards or ways to know what truly was green,” said John Niedfeldt-Thomas, leader of GBC International’s (the 501(c)(3) arm of the organization) education and outreach efforts.
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GBC went on to form its own standards. Its force has been felt in several ways, with successes such as legislation permitting eco-safe disposal methods and a rise in education about the impact of traditional burial and cremation. Consider these insights from Niedfeldt-Thomas on what associations can do to fight greenwashing—and how they can avoid doing it themselves.

GBC has created a set of criteria as to what’s truly green in its industry and certifies organizations that meet those criteria. The organization arrived at these standards by consulting with experts on natural burials, looking at which methods, products, and materials lead to pollution and other land and water issues. GBC also took cues from trusted sources, such as green guides from the Federal Trade Commission.

If there are no environment-related certifications in your industry, you can start forming criteria by doing the same: consulting with experts in your field. You can also approach regulators directly and push for environmental standards to be implemented, as GBC did with the FTC. When creating criteria, try to be as holistic as possible.
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“In the case of green burial, the full picture of environmentally sound practices is what counts,” GBC states in its handbook. “For instance, a casket made of organic materials may be green, but transporting it over 3,000 miles to its destination using fossil fuels and child labor to construct it is not considered green.”

When determining which organizations and products are actually green, prioritize transparency. What claims are they making? Where’s the evidence that they’ve followed through? Are they certified? If so, using what standards? It might be a red flag if an organization provides no proof that it’s keeping its promises.

“Where greenwashing is most often manifested is vague words that are used by companies to talk about their processes or products,” Niedfeldt-Thomas said.

This goes for your organization as well: In your environmental efforts, avoid greenwashing by telling the public what you’re doing, your standards, and how you’re holding yourself accountable. Be as specific as possible.

Michael Hickey is a contributor to Associations Now.

Published by ASAE: The Center for Association Leadership, Associations Now is the premier media brand covering all aspects of association leadership and operations, from governance and membership to event strategy and workplace management. Associations Now is delivered in multiple award-winning channels and provides real-world stories, innovative thinking, and practical, how-to content to help you turn ideas into action.
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ASAE and the ASAE Research Foundation work together to bring the most comprehensive collection of resources, events, and services to association professionals. ASAE members lead and manage trade associations, individual membership societies, and voluntary organizations across the United States and around the world. The ASAE Research Foundation’s portfolio balances future-focused programs with research studies designed to help professionals improve their work and their organizations today.

CANA has a history of studying cremation emissions and technology. Early CANA members built crematories on cemetery property with architectural beauty as a priority over fuel efficiency. It was common practice for the crematory to be custom-built below a chapel and columbarium to accommodate the funeral, cremation process and memorial placement of the urn in one building. These setups put the needs of the grieving first to promote memorialization. Fuel efficiency was an early topic of discussion, but the focus was on making a crematory business work efficiently.
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Post-World War II, as manufacturing techniques improved and demand for cremation equipment increased, crematory manufacturers moved toward assembly line production with homogeneous construction and parts. Machines were manufactured at the plant and shipped around the country, or the world, for installation and service. This proactive practice continues to present day and typically places uniform function over beautiful form.

In 1996, when the national cremation rate was 21.8%, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) turned its attention to regulating crematories. CANA and the US EPA formed a working group to examine scientific studies on emissions and make informed recommendations to federal environmental regulators. The working group decided that the current studies were too few and varied so they commissioned and oversaw a study at a CANA-member site, The Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, New York. Called “The Woodlawn Study,” its findings resulted in classification of crematories as small source emitters since deceased human bodies are distinctly different from solid waste (such as garbage and treatment plants) and should be regulated separately. The study also determined that states should continue to regulate crematories rather than the US EPA.
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There is a persistent myth that human and pet crematories are unregulated, but that is false. Now, in addition to zoning, licensing, and other business regulations, emissions are regulated by state environmental protection agencies through air permits. Every state manages this differently; however, crematories are most definitely regulated at the state, county, city, etc., levels. These layers of regulation create significant barriers to entry for new crematories, including businesses who want to improve or expand existing operations.

We know that the environment is on everyone’s minds, not to mention the safety of our communities. There are many factors that play a part in crematory operations and emission. For example, the science of combustion accounts for the fuel sources – the gas that powers the cremator, residual heat from previous cremations, the plant matter of the casket/container, the tissues of the body, and the oxygen in the air – to get as close to Complete or Perfect Combustion as possible, resulting only in carbon monoxide (CO) or dioxide (CO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and water (H2O). Complete Combustion is impossible since there are so many variables to manage throughout the cremation process, but modern cremators, and best practices in the crematory, get as close as possible.
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In addition to combustion, there are other variables that impact emissions, including:

Because each deceased human is unique, each cremation has a unique set of variables that ultimately determines emissions. Regulations often outline limits and ranges for operations, but people generally want to know specifics as they relate to other energy users and emissions.
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Questions:

FUEL USAGE BY CREMATORIES

​In the chart below, a number of conversions are represented to make comparisons. Most crematories and homes use natural gas as a fuel for heat. This fuel is converted to cubic feet and then to British Thermal Units (BTUs) which measures energy needed to heat one degree. SUVs run on gasoline which is converted to cubic feet.

Whatever part you play in the cremation journey, you can do your part to make a difference! Here are some ideas on how anyone can lessen the environmental impact of cremation and any funeral practice.

FOR EVERYONE

FOR THE FUNERAL DIRECTOR

FOR CEMETERIANS

FOR CREMATORIES

Cremation is the new tradition with greater than 55% of Americans and 73% of Canadians choosing it in 2019. While crematories are widely available, areas with lower cremation rates may need new and expanded crematory businesses to meet the growing demand. As a business owner, it’s important to meet your communities' needs with options and information. As a citizen of the Earth, it’s important to do our part in preserving it for the future.

The pace of change driven by consumers is the greatest challenge facing funeral service. No option has fallen off the menu, and yet more options pop up each year. How is it possible to create or reposition a business to fulfill these diverse requests? The 70 practitioners, suppliers and explorers who convened in Albuquerque in October 2019 for the First Ever Green Funeral Conference were up for the challenge. Their interactive and engaging experience is challenging to reproduce in a blog post, but there is too much great content not to share.
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Passages International was the obvious sponsor for this Conference. However, some potential speakers and participants and social media commenters—and even members of the media—weren’t so sure why CANA was hosting. Cremation is widely considered to be more environmentally friendly than traditional burial, but where does it fit on the continuum of green funeral practices? That is the kind of conversation I like to start. CANA doesn't shy away from hard questions, or from asking those questions of itself. We're proud to provide the space to have these frank discussions and attract the right voices to contribute.

​Since this was the first conference of its kind created for funeral directors and cemeterians, it was important to establish context and the intention to be inclusive in our definition of green practices. I will attempt to follow the flow of the conference in this post. Glenda Stansbury served as our emcee and she set the stage from the beginning, establishing that this conference was an exploration of green practices along a continuum. In that spirit, I invite you, dear reader, to identify where you are on that continuum. Are you a light spring green with plenty of traditional burial and cremation offerings? Or maybe you offer eco-friendly products, but want to promote more family participation and natural burial? Are you a deep forest green and all in? This post is an opportunity to learn more about the Conference content and how it may apply to your business and community.

Ed Bixby, owner of Steelmantown Green Burial Preserve and President of the Green Burial Council, kicked off the Conference with a presentation describing the wide range of green burial practices he employs in his cemeteries and has seen around the world. He challenged the audience to recognize that the spectrum includes traditional burial as well as established businesses seeking greener practices—including cremation. Yes, the attraction of green burial is related to environmental concerns, but it also appeals because it is simpler, involves less fanfare, and facilitates enhanced participation from mourners. Ed said, “Participation changes everything. You have the right to care for the dead the way you feel they should be cared for.” He challenged us—and I extend the challenge to you—to shift the mindset. You can work within regulations and laws, but you can reconceive the services you offer to families. In CANA language, "find a way to get to yes for your families."

During Ed's presentation, the topic of embalming came up. Why are embalmed bodies excluded from green cemeteries? Is this based on science or policy? Embalmers in the room shared why embalming remains an important tool for some families, but others expressed the belief that preserved bodies had no place in a green cemetery. While no consensus was reached, it was refreshing to hear so many opinions and suggestions respectfully discussed. However, many questions remained unresolved:

Next, Darren Crouch and Kilian Rempen of Passages International joined the conversation by discussing green products and marketing tactics to help businesses remain relevant and profitable. In the 20 years since Darren founded Passages International, he has learned many lessons. His customers are serving families that value green, but also unique and beautiful options. Darren asserted that the challenge of incorporating green options into businesses should feel familiar. It is similar to the challenge of embracing cremation 30 years ago. It was once controversial to add cremation to the sign in front of your funeral home and commonplace for funeral directors to send the rare cremation customer down the street to the cremation society. Ignoring cremation didn’t turn out well for funeral service, so Darren challenges funeral practitioners to not repeat past mistakes.
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Darren offered practical advice, such as offering scatter-friendly urns for the 50% of your cremation customers who intend to scatter. He argues that scattering does not equal low-end, but rather that an urn that contains cremated remains for a time can be used as art or to hold keepsakes after scattering. Darren echoed Ed’s message of changing your mindset to envision new offerings.

​Once attendees considered the various aspects of green funeral practices and started to plot their positions along the continuum, they heard from cemeterians and a funeral director who have added them to their operations.

Jody Herrington described her success in converting funeral home selection rooms to include green merchandise. She acknowledged how overwhelming it seems to offer yet more options in an already crowded space. Jody shared that her success was directly linked to the communities she has served and their green values. Incorporating local artists along with eco-friendly products and more familiar caskets can be appealing, but every community is unique. You know the communities you serve and should reflect that knowledge.

Jody posed a challenging question for me to hear – Is cremation a fall back? At this point some of you are probably nodding your heads in recognition, but I didn’t get it at first. Jody asserted that when faced with traditional burial caskets and merchandise, some consumers know they don’t want that so they fall back to cremation. Her experience showed that offering more eco-friendly merchandise and caskets resulted in more personalization and more sales to a satisfied customer. This leads me to wonder if green burial will slow the cremation rate increases we have seen. Only time will tell.

Our practitioner panel featured Donal Key and Linda Canyon of La Puerta Natural Burial Ground, Gracie Griffin of Bellefontaine Cemetery, Salvador Perches of Grupo Perches and Recinto de la Oracion, Ed Bixby, and Jody Herrington—continuing the conversation around green burial practices and tips for creating and offering green options in existing cemeteries. It is impossible to summarize the rich content generated by the discussion between panelists as well as with participants. Each panelist shared specific examples of practices they employ to promote participation and innovate new traditions. The questions from participants did touch on business models, pricing, training and incenting employees to dig graves and assist families to dress their loved ones. The key takeaway is that you can get to yes with families. It may take more time and creativity, but you can and should do it.

Next up was Tanya Marsh, a professor at Wake Forest University School of Law, who examined the legal trends surrounding green burials and green cemeteries. Tanya presented a framework for understanding green funeral trends. She started by sharing the macro trend of consumers looking for more control and input while also seeking authenticity and a meaningful experience. This is a trend influencing all aspects of our lives. And it poses a challenge for funeral directors and cemeterians who are typically risk-adverse.

Tanya outlined considerations to take into account when considering something new – i.e., natural burial or a new disposition.

The example she gave was natural organic reduction, commonly referred to as human composting. Washington state law explicitly stated that burial, cremation and removal from the state were the legal forms of disposition. This meant they needed to change the law in order to pave the way for a new form of disposition. In states that don’t affirmatively identify the forms of disposition, a court order or opinion from the board or attorney general may pave the way.
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Tanya led a free-wheeling Q&A session that touched on grave reusage, family participation, disinterments, indigent cremations, and what happens when cemeteries are abandoned.

The last sessions focused on consumers’ experiences and insights. Gail Rubin shared her perspective on consumer views of death and mourning and emphasized the ongoing theme of promoting participation and education.

I moderated two manufacturer panels—Luis Llorens of US Cremation Equipment and Paul Seyler of Matthews Environmental discussed the environmental impact of cremation and made presentations on the macro and micro impacts of cremation on the environment. This warrants its own blog post and one is in the works for publication in 2020. Stay tuned!

A second panel, with Sam Sieber of Bio-Response Solutions and Nicki Mikolai of Resomation America, discussed the science and practical application of alkaline hydrolysis. There was significant interest in alkaline hydrolysis among the participants, with some current and future practitioners represented. The questions from participants ranged from inquiries about the fundamental science, presence of radiation and mercury, to viewings and zoning challenges.

Legally, alkaline hydrolysis is considered to be cremation, but the process that occurs in the machine is completely different than flame-based cremation. Does that make it greener? That depends on the formula that is used. Is there a lower carbon footprint? Yes—or probably. Fewer fossil fuels are used to heat the water or dry the remains, but water and chemicals are used—so how does one account for that in the green calculation?

While more questions were raised than answered on the overall environmental impact of all dispositions, Sam did point participants to an important a recent study conducted in the Netherlands by Elisabeth Keijzer, who attempted to calculate the true costs of different types of disposition. Sam presents a useful framework for understanding the various environmental impacts and “shadow costs” discussed in the study.

Consumers are significantly ahead of funeral directors and cemeterians in seeking, performing and creating greener end-of-life options, so this conference represented an opportunity to engage in facilitated conversation, query panel presenters, and learn from leading experts. All walked away with practical ideas to implement now, and probably some ideas they considered but discarded for their own businesses. Here are three of my takeaways.

TAKEAWAY #1: DEFINITIONS MATTER
Language matters and it was important from the beginning to tackle some tough topics in order to facilitate open conversation and advance our collective understanding. We named this meeting the Green Funeral Conference to encompass a variety of green practices, and people came with many different ideas and opinions on what “green” truly means. However, everyone left seeing the full continuum of green funeral practices.

So, what shade of green are you or do you aspire to be? Have this conversation with your staff and seek to understand what your community wants or will respond positively to. And then have this conversation with your vendors to educate yourself on more eco-friendly options. Figure out your carbon footprint and how you can offset or reduce it.
Are your own policies and procedures standing in the way?

TAKEAWAY #2: EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN
For cremation, it took a few evangelists (and 100 years) to make cremation a tradition. Green funerals are completely different. For some, the practice is cultural tradition and anything else is desecration. For others, it's an attempt to mitigate their carbon footprint on the world by removing external interference (letting nature take its course). So, whether it's to save money, to save the planet, or to honor tradition, it means every option, every time. And providing that is hard work.

You know your communities and have served them for the length of your career or possibly generations of your family. Incorporating green funeral practices does not mean starting over from scratch, but it does mean shifting mindsets. You may consider following the path you took to embrace cremation.

TAKEAWAY #3: START NOW!
It took nearly 150 years, but cremation in the West evolved from a European fad to the dominant form of disposition in the US with the help from multiple types of leaders. First came the evangelists—those spreading the good news of the hygienic and aesthetic virtues of cremation. Then came the practitioners who formed CANA as a forum to share best practices and promote the practice of cremation. Those practitioners innovated products, technology and services to support cremation practice. Many of these practitioners ultimately formed companies that supplied practitioners nationwide. As those companies matured and merged and competitors formed, cremation products and services further developed to support the industry.

Will green funeral practices follow a similar pattern? Probably. Likely following a significantly shorter timeline, but it certainly will happen, thanks to a similar mix of contributors. Yet again, consumers are leading the way by demanding greener funeral practices. The participants and speakers in the Green Funeral Conference represented a mix of champions of funeral practices along the continuum, both current and future practitioners.
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This conference was a true meeting of minds and collaboration in exploring green funeral practices. I'm proud of the conversations that happened at this meeting and have attempted to capture some of the content and the spirit of the event.

All around the country, cremation rates are continuing to steadily rise. If you are reading this, you will already know that this change is an almost daily conversation for those of us in the industry, and understandably so; in 2016, the national cremation rate hit 50%, a landmark meaning that for the first time, the majority of families going through the funeral process had their loved one returned as cremated remains, while a minority of the deceased were buried in a casket. Since then, this upward trend of the cremation rate has continued, and everyone has been working out how to address this change while keeping their businesses – often businesses that have been in the family for generations – successful.

There are a host of factors encouraging families to find new, creative options for their funerals, and green values are a key influence. People are generally living more eco-conscious lives, and prefer not to contribute to the large environmental footprint left by grave vaults, hardwood caskets, embalming fluids, etc. And, with life moving at internet-fast pace, people value simplicity. To most, the simplest option for a funeral is to get a cremation and have an intimate service, rather than taking the time and going through all the variables that are involved in a traditional funeral.

While any change in customer demands can be frightening, the way our industry is evolving opens up new avenues for businesses that previously did not exist. 10% of funeral homes may have closed between 2005 and 2015 (the recession in 2008 can be given a good part of the blame for that), but the number of deaths in the USA rose nearly 11%, from 2.45 million in 2005 to 2.71 million in 2015. For lack of a better way to put it, the customer base in the funeral industry is rising, but what they are buying has changed. Even with the rising popularity of non-traditional options, funeral homes and crematories are still the experts that we go to when a loved one passes away, and the drop in traditional burials leaves a massive opportunity to offer people something new and different.

Now, let’s look at the environmental reasoning behind non-traditional options. The world is becoming more eco-conscious, and people are taking steps to reduce their personal carbon footprint wherever they can. Electric cars and green energy sources are more popular than ever, many stores now charge for plastic bags to reduce waste, and even single-use utensils and plastic straws are being removed or replaced with biodegradable options. The entire City of Malibu recently banned all plastic straws and utensils to reduce waste from the thousands of visitors passing through every day.

If people are taking this much care in reducing their carbon footprint, why wouldn’t they also want to leave a minimal impact after life? Cremation is perceived as the greener alternative to burial, because it does not require the cement, toxic fluids, hardwoods, or physical space of a burial, and this opens up another opportunity to generate business from families. Plastic temporary containers can be replaced with biodegradable options at a very low cost, and will leave green-minded families satisfied. More importantly, while these families would not consider a marble or metal urn, there are many Earth-friendly urn options in the same price range as more expensive permanent options, which can be presented to families.

A beautiful urn hand-made from a natural gourd or carved from salt may be the best option for families that don’t want to purchase a permanent urn, but still want to place their loved one’s remains into something special. And, using unique biodegradable urns can open the door to some amazing services. We once had a family perform a ceremony at sea with one of our Turtle Urns, and they were joined by real sea turtles, resulting in an unforgettable experience for all involved. We have found that most members of the public didn’t know that these better options even exist, so by suggesting these options to families that see little or no value in a permanent urn, you can create a new revenue stream and provide unparalleled value to your families.

Through my work at Passages, I’ve come to learn many reasons that people choose to cremate and scatter instead of a traditional burial. More than ever, people are moving to new cities for work or family, and it has become rarer for a family to remain in the same place for generations. This means that visiting grave sites of parents or grandparents is harder. Often, people who are moving would rather not add an urn to their already heavy load, viewing it as “just another thing to carry.” Non-traditional options make more sense for these families, who may choose to get together once to scatter and celebrate a life, before going their separate ways. Offering higher-end biodegradable urns can help families make this a proper, memorable experience, whether they choose to scatter at sea or on land.

Green options don’t have to be low-tech or cheap; at Passages, we recently released a contemporary new urn that allows families to keep a loved one’s remains inside their home while they begin the healing process, but will be buried and grow a memorial tree. The family plants a memorial tree in the top half, with the remains in the bottom, and after some time the outer shell of the urn begins to crack. We like to see as the loved one telling the family it is time to bury the urn that holds their remains. The design of the urn neutralizes the pH of remains to allow healthy root growth, and it includes a unique geotag to mark the final planting location of the remains and memorial tree, with an online platform for families to create a memorial.
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The final major reason cited for the shift to cremation and non-traditional funeral options is that people are attracted to the simplest option or whatever is the least amount of work and worry during an already difficult time. This is becoming truer in all aspects of life: ordering a rideshare service has become hugely popular due to the simplicity over a traditional taxi, and people have become used to shopping online with their purchases being delivered to their doors. So, when going through the funeral process, people expect a similar level of ease. If you improve your basic cremation package with natural, sustainable cremation containers and dignified temporary urns, families will feel taken care of. Those families that need something cheaper can ask for cardboard, but by offering something more in your “base” package, the simplest option that families can choose will also be a more profitable, more meaningful package.

In our rapidly-changing funeral environment, it’s more important than ever to really understand how families are thinking and what it will take to provide them with a personal funeral experience. Many families today simply are not looking for the traditional funeral services that have been offered for generations, and we have to understand that those customers won’t be convinced to go that route due to a lack of other options.

Does your selection room reflect what over 50% of your cremation families are planning to do? Scattering is what over half of cremation families intend, a recent report from NFDA states. And most urn selection rooms offer a very small selection of urns intended for scattering of remains or burial in the earth or sea. If a family declines a permanent urn, it’s up to you to offer a non-traditional urn that they will see value in. If not, the opportunity for a sale will be lost, along with the opportunity to provide the best in the eyes of the family.

Passages International has partnered with CANA to host the first-ever Green Funeral Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico, because we want to take a deeper dive into where the industry is heading. Green funeral practices are being driven by consumer demand and, for the most part, progressive funeral homes, cemeteries, and crematories are finding a way to say yes to greening funeral arrangements. Participants in this Conference will learn current green funeral practices and, through interactive sessions, apply innovative ideas to their businesses. This isn’t just lecture, it’s interactive solution-sharing with colleagues from across the profession and around the world.
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This event will include presentations and panels with experts in the non-traditional field, and will help funeral professionals understand how to market and offer green and non-traditional options to families successfully. You can find more information and register at the CANA website or the Passages International website. The event will coincide with the world-famous Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, and participants will be invited to take a tour of the Passages International facility in Albuquerque, to learn more about biodegradable urns and eco-friendly caskets.