The quest to alter our last ‘toxic’ act: Inside the rise of human composting

It was nearly dark outside when Blaire Van Valkenburgh strode through the woods, lanterns dangling from both hands, to visit the soil that was once her husband. Blaire Van Valkenburgh scans the sky after placing lanterns around the area where her late husband’s “soil” rests in the woods outside their Washington state home on Orcas Island. Return Home CEO Micah Truman, left, and services manager Katey Houston, second from left, pose by a demonstration “terramation” vessel and mannequin, with Lauren Williams, far right, operations manager of Return Home’s new Southern California partner, Clarity Funerals & Cremation in Anaheim. “We came up with terramation — ‘terra’ for earth and ‘mation,’ as in transform — because if we have a better lexicon, it will help people have less fear.” Relieving the fear that surrounds death is one of Truman’s big missions — the mortuary even sells merchandise with messages such as “Soil yourself” and “I’d rather be compost.” Photographs of Samah and his family adorn his vessel during the terramation process at Return Home. “Make sure you tell people, you have to come up with a plan for what you’ll do with the soil, because it’s a lot,” Heffington said.