Podcast Summary
Composting Human Remains: A New Way to Deal with Death: Starting in May, Washington state will legally allow composting human remains as an alternative to traditional burial or cremation methods, reducing environmental impact and creating a more natural process.
The BBC provides valuable information and perspectives on various topics, including the less conventional ones, such as composting human remains after death. This practice, which will be legal in Washington state starting in May, is an alternative way to dispose of bodies and is gaining interest due to its potential for reducing environmental impact and creating a more natural process. Lynn Carpenter Boggs, a soil scientist at Washington State University, shares her experience with conducting a pilot study on composting human remains, which she found to be met with curiosity and fascination once the conversation moved beyond initial unfamiliarity. This innovative approach to dealing with death offers a unique perspective on the cycle of life and death and underscores the importance of open-mindedness and exploration of new ideas.
Apple Card rewards and human composting offer unique solutions: Apple Card rewards consumers for purchases with higher rewards for Apple Pay, while human composting offers an alternative to traditional burial and cremation methods with smaller environmental impact.
Apple Card offers different rewards for different types of purchases, with higher rewards for transactions made using Apple Pay. Meanwhile, in the world of end-of-life planning, some people are exploring alternative methods to traditional burial and cremation, such as human composting. This process, which involves breaking down a body using plant materials and microbes, has gained attention due to its potential environmental benefits and smaller carbon footprint compared to traditional methods. The process begins with the body being placed in a long container filled with plant materials, which provide the necessary carbon-to-nitrogen ratio for the microbes to effectively break down the body. Despite initial hesitance, proponents of human composting aim to make this method not only acceptable but beautiful, emphasizing its agricultural and natural aspects. Ultimately, both Apple Card rewards and human composting offer unique solutions to common problems – Apple Card rewards consumers for their purchases, while human composting provides an alternative to traditional burial and cremation methods with a smaller environmental impact.
A natural process of decomposing human bodies using bacteria: Human body composting, an eco-friendly alternative to burial and cremation, reduces bodies to soil-like material in 4-7 weeks, potentially cutting down to 30 days, through bacterial action.
Human body composting, also known as natural organic reduction, is a process primarily driven by bacteria that release enzymes and acids to break down the body's cells and molecules. This results in a material that looks similar to compost and takes around 4-7 weeks to complete in a pilot study, with the goal of reducing this time to 30 days. Although it may be a cheaper alternative to traditional burial and cremation, the main attractions for people are likely to be noneconomic factors, such as environmental sustainability and a more natural, beautiful way of returning to the earth. The process involves maintaining optimal conditions for bacteria growth, including temperature and airflow, and results in a fine, soil-like material. Despite its potential benefits, human body composting is currently only legal in Washington state in 2020.
The Transformation Process in Composting: Witnessing the trillions of microorganisms at work in composting results in nutrient-rich soil, improving the land.
Learning from this episode of NPR Shortwave is the beauty and importance of the transformation process in composting. Lynn Carpenter Boggs, a professor of sustainable and organic agriculture at Washington State University and research advisor with recompose, shared her experience of witnessing the trillions of microorganisms at work, converting waste materials into nutrient-rich soil. This process not only results in a different-looking and pleasant material, but also improves the land. The transformation is a reminder of the power of nature and the circular economy. As Boggs put it, "it's both that this transformation is happening, and also that you then have something that is going to further improve the land." The episode was produced by Rebecca Ramirez, edited by Viet Le, fact-checked by Burleigh McCoy, and featured engineering support from Ted Miebain. For more on the role of investors in addressing challenges such as retirement, listen to BlackRock's podcast, The Bid.
