***Please note, previous advertisements for this webinar displayed the date June 19. The date has since been rescheduled to July 11.

As many US states move to legalize composting of human bodies, a growing number of people are looking to this option as a more environmentally-conscious way to be laid to rest. This webinar series covers the topic from a composter’s perspective, from an overview of the process to business implications. Part 3 of the series, presented by industry experts, will cover:

• Evolving business models, including current and potential alignments with the death care industry
• Pros, cons, and considerations of various processes for human remains composting, including affordability and access
• Possibilities for the final disposition of compost created from human remains, variations in the legal status between states, and connections to physical memorial spaces for the deceased
• Religious and cultural perspectives on composting human remains
  

Webinar Cost: $19 for USCC members*, $29 for non-members

*To receive discounted registration for members, please be sure you are signed into your USCC account before starting your registration.

Registrants for either Part 1 or Part 2 of this series will receive a special offer via email to save $5 off registration for this webinar. If you are eligible, please look for an email coming by 5/17 or reach out to education@compostfoundation.org.

This webinar will be recorded and made available to all registrants in a follow-up email.

Missed a prior webinar in the series? No problem! You can learn more and purchase access to the recording for Part 1 here, or for Part 2 here.

About our guest speakers

	Jean Bonhotal has worked at the Cornell Waste Management Institute for over 20 years, reducing, repurposing, recycling, and composting solid and organic residuals to redirect resources from our waste stream. Currently her time includes work on food scrap, manure, carcass, and butcher waste composting education and research. Jean’s previous experience includes work with the US Forest and National Park Service, US EPA, NYS DEC, and the landscape and greenhouse industry. She has received an M.S. degree in Education and Communication from SUNY Binghamton, a B.S. in Biology from Utah State University, and an A.A.S. in Natural Resources from SUNY Morrisville.
	"What actions are you taking to ensure that we, too, can grow old in a world that's worth living in?" Pablo Metz and his partner Max decided to work on an answer to this question and introduced the new form of burial, "Reerdigung" (NOR), to Germany and founded the company MEINE ERDE (My Earth). MEINE ERDE is the first (and so far the only) NOR provider in Europe. They achieved the first legislation in Europe, published the first scientific research on the MEINE ERDE NOR process and have gained the trust and support of many, such as the protestant and catholic church. Today Pablo acts as a "Chief Undertaking Officer" of MEINE ERDE and is the head evangelist of NOR in Germany - and maybe in Europe. Pablo is a proud and joyful father of two wonderful human beings.
	Walt Patrick is a chemist and Senior Steward of the Herland Forest, an outgrowth of the non-profit Windward Education and Research Center. For more than three decades, Windward has been studying how to sustainably feed, fuel, and clothe people on marginal land. Part of that work involves composting the remains of the large animals that play a central role in carrying out Windward's mission, work which involved learning how to use composted remains to support the growth of acorn producing oak trees. Windward stewards 126 acres of ancient forest located on the volcanic slopes of Mount Adams in south-central Washington state. In 2010, Windward dedicated twenty acres of its forest to creating a working model of a natural burial cemetery that uses the interment of human remains to support sustainable forestry practices. When Washington legalized natural organic reduction, Herland Forest applied its decades of experience composting large mammals to processing human remains. In July of 2020, Washington state granted Herland the nation's first license to perform Natural Organic Reduction, and Patrick was granted the very first license to operate a NOR facility. In 2023, Herland Forest was recognized by the IRS as a 501(c)(13) non-profit cemetery offering a viable alternative to the for-profit composting of human remains. Later that year, Herland Forest undertook the next step in its vision of using the interment of human remains to protect forest land from development by acquiring an adjoining twenty acres of forest land.
	Seth Viddal has been an entrepreneur for most of his adult life. After serving in the Air Force during Operation Desert Shield, he designed and sold communication solutions for government intelligence agencies, started a real estate development company, and founded a commercial and industrial general contracting company. Following the unexpected deaths of both of his parents and a younger brother, Seth was called to explore alternatives to conventional funeral services. In 2017, he sold his companies and went back to school at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. He helped open the doors to The Natural Funeral in Boulder County in 2019, where he is co-owner and Chief Operating Officer. They have since opened a second funeral home and a care center in Denver, Colorado, where they perform ecological dispositions.  Seth and The Natural Funeral are transforming the funeral industry. They have expanded end-of-life care options available to Coloradans by bringing water cremation and terramation to the state. The Natural Funeral hosted the Inaugural Body Composting Conference in Denver in March 2023, which was the first global initiative to connect researchers, funeral professionals, legislators, mortuary science students, end-of-life caregivers, universities, and composting professionals. Seth enjoys family time with his wife, Vicki, their 11-year-old son, Shepherd, and two weenie dogs, Queenie and Clover. He has three adult children who bring him great joy. His leadership inspires a compassionate and sustainable approach to honoring life's end.
	Bob Rynk, Ph.D. has been researching and teaching about composting for over 30 years. Bob is Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York, Cobleskill, having retired in 2019. At SUNY Cobleskill, he coordinated the Environmental and Energy Technology Bachelor’s degree program and taught courses on composting, waste management, and bioenergy. Prior to SUNY Cobleskill, Bob was Senior Technical Editor for BioCycle magazine and Executive Editor of the peer-reviewed journal, Compost Science and Utilization. Bob is the principal editor and an author for The Composting Handbook, and editor of its 1992 predecessor, the On-Farm Composting Handbook.

Hosted by

CREF supports initiatives that enhance the stature and practices of the composting industry by supporting scientific research, increasing awareness, and educating practitioners and the public to advance environmentally and economically sustainable organics recycling. We increase awareness and educate the public through targeted outreach activities; foster scientific research opportunities; and advance the stature and practice of the composting industry by offering professional development opportunities and disseminating best practices.

Thank you to our sponsors

Sponsors wanted! Contact Beth Simone at (833) 812-2733 ext. 2 or bethsimone@compostfoundation.org to learn about sponsorship opportunities for this webinar.