SALT LAKE CITY — Have you ever heard of human composting?
A Utah lawmaker has introduced a bill during the current legislative session that basically says you can turn your loved one’s body into soil, which has sparked quite a debate.
James Loomis is an organic farmer who can’t imagine a day without getting his hands into earth’s soils.
“When we lose something we love, planting or growing, or stewarding and nurturing another living thing, it can be another reminder that death is the cycle of life, that life goes on,” he said.
After losing his 16-year-old son, Grey, unexpectedly last November, James decided what better way to stay connected to his son than to return him back to earth.
“A part of my healing process can be to watch life continue, you know?" James said. "I want a living monument to my child.”
Human composting, also known as natural organic reduction, turns human remains into soil. The practice is allowed in 12 states, including Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona, but Utah lawmakers have been hesitant to jump on board.
Micah Truman, CEO of Return Home, a funeral home in Washington that specializes in human composting, has an answer to all the questions about human composting.
“The process takes a little over two months," he explained. "It’s what we call 'In Vessel,' so we have a vessel at Return Home. It’s 8 feet long, 3 1/2 feet tall. 3 1/2 feet wide. And we use organics which are alfalfa, straw, and sawdust. We place a base layer of organics, the body on top of those organics and the remaining organics on top.”
Truman says the microbes in our body that transform the food we eat into energy switch when we die and transform us.
“The microbes become super active and in the vessel, in about a month, our bodies completely transform into soil," Truman added. "They’re then moved to a second phase where they’re placed in a cube for the soil to cool and settles for a second month.”
According to Truman, the process is more affordable and better for the environment.
“Every cremation that we do releases about 550 pounds of CO2 into the air, and since all of us die, that’s a lot of CO2. Our process is a great deal more efficient, it's about 90 percent more energy efficient and the resulting soil restarts the cycle of life, whereas with cremated remains, it’s essentially chard carbon. It’s as useful to the earth as a bucket of sand.”
As for Loomis, he plans to take Grey’s compost to a family farm in Idaho where a grove of trees will be planted.
“I find it valuable for my grieving process that I have something to look forward to and there’s something that’s going to grow and develop," he shared. "I’m looking forward to knowing that as these trees grow and I visit them regularly and I see that life goes on.”
