Return to the Earth: Natural Burial and Human Composting
It turns out that we humans have the power to fight climate change even after death. Join Katrina Spade of Recompose and John Christian Phifer of Larkspur Conservation as they describe the similarities and differences between natural burial and human composting. How do these two regenerative death-care practices compare from ecological, cost, and design perspectives? Why are they both considered to be critical tools in the climate healing toolbox?
Magnes Museum
April 7th | 3:00 pm to 4:15 pm
Panelists
Katrina Spade
Founder and CEO
Recompose
Katrina Spade, a designer and the inventor of a system that transforms the dead into soil (aka human composting), is the founder and CEO of the public benefit corporation Recompose, which led the successful legalization of human composting in Washington State in 2019 and became the first company in the world to offer the service in 2020. They have composted over 200 people to date, and the process is now also legal in Oregon, Colorado, Vermont and California. Katrina’s many honors include Echoing Green and Ashoka fellowships and a Harvard Kennedy School Visiting Social Innovator.
John Christian Phifer
CEO
Larkspur Conservation
John Christian Phifer, Executive Director of Larkspur Conservation and President of the Conservation Burial Alliance, utilizes his background as a funeral director, embalmer, end-of-life doula, funeral celebrant and home funeral guide to demystify death and bridge environmental advocacy and end-of-life care. His work, which led to the creation of Tennessee’s first conservation burial ground, was recently featured on PBS in the documentary Bury Me At Taylor Hollow.
Keep Your Finger on the Pulse
Our bi-weekly newsletter provides insights into the people, projects, and organizations creating lasting change in the world.
