Natural burial near Ashland connects remembrance with restoration

Why did you write this book? I wrote this because there's a revolution that's going on across the country in the United States, and we're part of it, and we have choices now here in Oregon and locally.

And I felt compelled because also personally...

My mother had Alzheimer's disease for 14 years.

And in 2012, when she died, she got cremated.

And I started to think about what was in that box of cremated remains.

And so I thought I'd research it.

And the more I researched, the deeper I got.

It was just like Pandora's box after Pandora's box.

And I realized that our funeral industry is very unsustainable.

And that at the same time, there were all these solutions that had been happening around me that I didn't even know about.

And so I felt compelled to connect all the links between what I was learning and offer that in the form of a book.

Well, I'll tell you, as I was reading your book, I was struck with the fact that I seldom think about death and certainly don't talk about it in my family or with my loved ones or anyone rather.

But death is all around us and it's happening all the time.

And we've simply just farmed this out to industries where generations ago we used to do this.

Yeah.

For 300 years, you know, from 1620 to 1920, we took care of our own.

We buried our loved ones.

We had a home funeral for them.

We knew how to be with death.

And in the last century, we've forgotten.

We just call the crematory crematory.

And we get, you know, our, you know, what is known as not very good death care.

You know, it's kind of dismal choices.

And I think that's one of the reasons why we don't pay attention anymore.

But now with this whole movement where people are having more choices and there are like over 300 natural and conservation cemeteries around the country, we can We can choose something other than cremation and participate in death and find these skills again that we used to have that brought meaning to our lives.

Why did you write this book? I wrote this because there's a revolution that's going on across the country in the United States, and we're part of it, and we have choices now here in Oregon and locally.

And I felt compelled because also personally...

My mother had Alzheimer's disease for 14 years.

And in 2012, when she died, she got cremated.

And I started to think about what was in that box of cremated remains.

And so I thought I'd research it.

And the more I researched, the deeper I got.

It was just like Pandora's box after Pandora's box.

And I realized that our funeral industry is very unsustainable.

And that at the same time, there were all these solutions that had been happening around me that I didn't even know about.

And so I felt compelled to connect all the links between what I was learning and offer that in the form of a book.

Well, I'll tell you, as I was reading your book, I was struck with the fact that I seldom think about death and certainly don't talk about it in my family or with my loved ones or anyone rather.

But death is all around us and it's happening all the time.

And we've simply just farmed this out to industries where generations ago we used to do this.

Yeah.

For 300 years, you know, from 1620 to 1920, we took care of our own.

We buried our loved ones.

We had a home funeral for them.

We knew how to be with death.

And in the last century, we've forgotten.

We just call the crematory crematory.

And we get, you know, our, you know, what is known as not very good death care.

You know, it's kind of dismal choices.

And I think that's one of the reasons why we don't pay attention anymore.

But now with this whole movement where people are having more choices and there are like over 300 natural and conservation cemeteries around the country, we can We can choose something other than cremation and participate in death and find these skills again that we used to have that brought meaning to our lives.