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Katrina Spade: When I die, recompose me
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What if our bodies could help grow new life after we die, instead of being embalmed and buried or turned to ash? Join Katrina Spade as she discusses "recomposition" -- a system that uses the natural decomposition process to turn our deceased into life-giving soil, honoring both the earth and the departed.
Katrina Spade - Inventor, designer, death care advocate
Katrina Spade created a system called "recomposition" that transforms human bodies into soil, so that we can return to the earth after we die. Full bio
Katrina Spade created a system called "recomposition" that transforms human bodies into soil, so that we can return to the earth after we die. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
My name is Katrina Spade,
and I grew up in a medical family
and I grew up in a medical family
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where it was fairly normal to talk
about death and dying at the dinner table.
about death and dying at the dinner table.
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But I didn't go into medicine
like so many of my family members.
like so many of my family members.
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Instead, I went to architecture school
to learn how to design.
to learn how to design.
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And while I was there,
I began to be curious
I began to be curious
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about what would happen
to my physical body after I died.
to my physical body after I died.
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What would my nearest
and dearest do with me?
and dearest do with me?
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So if the existence
and the fact of your own mortality
and the fact of your own mortality
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doesn't get you down,
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the state of our current
funerary practices will.
funerary practices will.
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Today, almost 50 percent of Americans
choose conventional burial.
choose conventional burial.
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Conventional burial begins with embalming,
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where funeral staff drain bodily fluid
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and replace it with a mixture
designed to preserve the corpse
designed to preserve the corpse
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and give it a lifelike glow.
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Then, as you know,
bodies are buried in a casket
bodies are buried in a casket
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in a concrete-lined grave
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in a cemetery.
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All told, in US cemeteries,
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we bury enough metal
to build a Golden Gate Bridge,
to build a Golden Gate Bridge,
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enough wood to build
1,800 single family homes,
1,800 single family homes,
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and enough formaldehyde-laden
embalming fluid
embalming fluid
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to fill eight Olympic-size swimming pools.
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In addition, cemeteries
all over the world are reaching capacity.
all over the world are reaching capacity.
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Turns out, it doesn't really
make good business sense
make good business sense
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to sell someone
a piece of land for eternity.
a piece of land for eternity.
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(Laughter)
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Whose idea was that?
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In some places, you can't buy a plot
no matter how much money you have.
no matter how much money you have.
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As a result, cremation rates
have risen fast.
have risen fast.
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In 1950, if you suggested your grandmother
be incinerated after she died,
be incinerated after she died,
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you'd probably be kicked
from the family deathbed.
from the family deathbed.
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But today, almost half
of Americans choose cremation,
of Americans choose cremation,
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citing simpler,
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cheaper
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and more ecological as reasons.
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I used to think that cremation
was a sustainable form of disposition,
was a sustainable form of disposition,
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but just think about it for a second.
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Cremation destroys the potential we have
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to give back to the earth
after we've died.
after we've died.
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It uses an energy-intensive process
to turn bodies into ash,
to turn bodies into ash,
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polluting the air
and contributing to climate change.
and contributing to climate change.
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All told, cremations in the US
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emit a staggering 600 million
pounds of carbon dioxide
pounds of carbon dioxide
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into the atmosphere annually.
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The truly awful truth
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is that the very last thing
that most of us will do on this earth
that most of us will do on this earth
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is poison it.
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It's like we've created, accepted
and death-denied our way into a status quo
and death-denied our way into a status quo
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that puts as much distance
between ourselves and nature
between ourselves and nature
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as is humanly possible.
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Our modern funerary practices
are designed to stave off
are designed to stave off
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the natural processes
that happen to a body after death.
that happen to a body after death.
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In other words, they're meant
to prevent us from decomposing.
to prevent us from decomposing.
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But the truth
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is that nature is really,
really good at death.
really good at death.
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We've all seen it.
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When organic material dies in nature,
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microbes and bacteria
break it down into nutrient-rich soil,
break it down into nutrient-rich soil,
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completing the life cycle.
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In nature, death creates life.
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Back in architecture school,
I was thinking about all this,
I was thinking about all this,
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and I set out on a plan
to redesign death care.
to redesign death care.
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Could I create a system
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that was beneficial to the earth
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and that used nature as a guide
rather than something to be feared?
rather than something to be feared?
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Something that was gentle to the planet?
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That planet, after all,
supports our living bodies
supports our living bodies
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our whole lives.
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And while I was mulling this all over
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over the drawing board,
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the phone rang.
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It was my friend Kate.
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She was like, "Hey,
have you heard about the farmers
have you heard about the farmers
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who are composting whole cows?"
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And I was like, "Mmmm."
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(Laughter)
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Turns out that farmers
in agricultural institutions
in agricultural institutions
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have been practicing something
called livestock mortality composting
called livestock mortality composting
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for decades.
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Mortality composting is where
you take an animal high in nitrogen
you take an animal high in nitrogen
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and cover it with co-composting materials
that are high in carbon.
that are high in carbon.
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It's an aerobic process,
so it requires oxygen,
so it requires oxygen,
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and it requires
plenty of moisture as well.
plenty of moisture as well.
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In the most basic setup, a cow
is covered with a few feet of wood chips,
is covered with a few feet of wood chips,
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which are high in carbon,
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and left outside for nature,
for breezes to provide oxygen
for breezes to provide oxygen
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and rain to provide moisture.
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In about nine months,
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all that remains
is a nutrient-rich compost.
is a nutrient-rich compost.
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The flesh has been decomposed entirely,
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as have the bones.
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I know.
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(Laughter)
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So I would definitely
call myself a decomposition nerd,
call myself a decomposition nerd,
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but I am far, far from a scientist,
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and one way you can tell this is true
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is that I have often called
the process of composting "magic."
the process of composting "magic."
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(Laughter)
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So basically, all we humans need to do
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is create the right environment
for nature to do its job.
for nature to do its job.
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It's like the opposite
of antibacterial soap.
of antibacterial soap.
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Instead of fighting them,
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we welcome microbes and bacteria
in with open arms.
in with open arms.
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These tiny, amazing creatures
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break down molecules
into smaller molecules and atoms,
into smaller molecules and atoms,
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which are then incorporated
into new molecules.
into new molecules.
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In other words, that cow is transformed.
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It's no longer a cow.
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It's been cycled back into nature.
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See? Magic.
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You can probably imagine
the light bulb that went off in my head
the light bulb that went off in my head
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after I received that phone call.
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I began designing a system
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based on the principles
of livestock mortality composting
of livestock mortality composting
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that would take human beings
and transform them into soil.
and transform them into soil.
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Fast-forward five years
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and the project has grown in ways
I truly never could have imagined.
I truly never could have imagined.
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We've created a scalable,
replicable non-profit urban model
replicable non-profit urban model
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based on the science
of livestock mortality composting
of livestock mortality composting
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that turns human beings into soil.
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We've partnered and collaborated
with experts in soil science,
with experts in soil science,
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decomposition, alternative death care,
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law and architecture.
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We've raised funds
from foundations and individuals
from foundations and individuals
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in order to design
a prototype of this system,
a prototype of this system,
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and we've heard from tens of thousands
of people all over the world
of people all over the world
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who want this option to be available.
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OK.
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In the next few years,
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it's our goal to build the first
full-scale human composting facility
full-scale human composting facility
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right in the city of Seattle.
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(Applause)
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Imagine it,
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part public park,
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part funeral home,
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part memorial to the people we love,
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a place where we can reconnect
with the cycles of nature
with the cycles of nature
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and treat bodies
with gentleness and respect.
with gentleness and respect.
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The infrastructure is simple.
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Inside a vertical core,
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bodies and wood chips undergo
accelerated natural decomposition,
accelerated natural decomposition,
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or composting,
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and are transformed into soil.
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When someone dies, their body
is taken to a human composting facility.
is taken to a human composting facility.
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After wrapping the deceased
in a simple shroud,
in a simple shroud,
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friends and family carry the body
to the top of the core,
to the top of the core,
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which contains the natural
decomposition system.
decomposition system.
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During a laying in ceremony,
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they gently place the body into the core
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and cover it with wood chips.
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This begins the gentle transformation
from human to soil.
from human to soil.
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Over the next few weeks,
the body decomposes naturally.
the body decomposes naturally.
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Microbes and bacteria
break down carbon, then protein,
break down carbon, then protein,
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to create a new substance,
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a rich, earthy soil.
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This soil can then be used
to grow new life.
to grow new life.
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Eventually, you could be a lemon tree.
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(Applause)
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Yeah, thank you.
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(Applause)
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Who's thinking about
lemon meringue pie right now?
lemon meringue pie right now?
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(Laughter)
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A lemon drop?
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Something stronger?
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So in addition to housing the core,
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these buildings will function
to support the grieving
to support the grieving
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by providing space for memorial services
and end-of-life planning.
and end-of-life planning.
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The potential for repurposing is huge.
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Old churches and industrial warehouses
can be converted into places
can be converted into places
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where we create soil and honor life.
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We want to bring back the aspect of ritual
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that's been diluted
over the past hundred years
over the past hundred years
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as cremation rates have risen
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and religious affiliation has declined.
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Our Seattle facility will function
as a model for these places
as a model for these places
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all over the world.
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We've heard from communities
in South Africa, Australia,
in South Africa, Australia,
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the UK, Canada and beyond.
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We're creating a design toolkit
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that will help others
design and build facilities
design and build facilities
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that will contain technical specifications
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and regulatory best practices.
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We want to help individuals,
organizations,
organizations,
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and down the road, municipalities
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design and build facilities
in their own cities.
in their own cities.
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The idea is that every one of these places
should look and feel completely different
should look and feel completely different
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with the same system inside.
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They're really meant to be designed
for the neighborhood in which they reside
for the neighborhood in which they reside
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and the community which they serve.
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The other idea is
for supportive staff to be on hand
for supportive staff to be on hand
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to help families with the care
and preparation of loved ones' bodies.
and preparation of loved ones' bodies.
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We're banishing practices
that bewilder and disempower
that bewilder and disempower
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and creating a system
that is beautiful and meaningful
that is beautiful and meaningful
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and transparent.
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We believe that access
to ecological death care
to ecological death care
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is a human right.
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OK, so you know the old saying,
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if you can compost a cow,
you can compost a human?
you can compost a human?
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(Laughter)
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Turns out, it's true.
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Since 2014, we've been
running a pilot project
running a pilot project
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in the hills of North Carolina
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with the Forensic Anthropology Department
at Western Carolina University.
at Western Carolina University.
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Six donor bodies
have been covered in wood chips,
have been covered in wood chips,
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oxygen provided by breezes,
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microbes and bacteria doing their jobs.
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This pilot program has allowed us
to demonstrate that it's possible
to demonstrate that it's possible
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to harness the incredible power
of natural decomposition
of natural decomposition
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to turn human bodies into soil,
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and we're working
with other universities as well.
with other universities as well.
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Soil scientists
at Washington State University,
at Washington State University,
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the grad students, anyway,
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are working to compost
teeth with amalgam fillings
teeth with amalgam fillings
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so that we can understand
what happens to the mercury therein.
what happens to the mercury therein.
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Next up, we'll be beginning experiments
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to determine what happens
to chemo drugs and pharmaceuticals
to chemo drugs and pharmaceuticals
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during the composting process,
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and whether additional
remediation will be needed.
remediation will be needed.
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By the way,
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composting creates a great deal of heat,
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especially this particular
type of composting.
type of composting.
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One week after we began
composting our fifth donor body,
composting our fifth donor body,
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the temperature inside
that mound of wood chips
that mound of wood chips
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reached 158 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Imagine harnessing that heat
to create energy
to create energy
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or comfort the grieving on a cold day.
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The death care revolution has begun.
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It's an exciting time to be alive.
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Thank you.
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(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Katrina Spade - Inventor, designer, death care advocateKatrina Spade created a system called "recomposition" that transforms human bodies into soil, so that we can return to the earth after we die.
Why you should listen
Katrina Spade is a designer and entrepreneur who focuses on transforming death care. As the founder and CEO of Recompose, she is developing a new model of caring for our dead which focuses on transparency, participation, and nature. She has a Masters in Architecture from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a certificate in Sustainable Design and Building from Yestermorrow Design/Build School and a Bachelors in Cultural Anthropology from Haverford College.
Spade's work has been featured in The Atlantic, Wired, and the New York Times. She is an Echoing Green Climate Fellow.
Katrina Spade | Speaker | TED.com