As a ghoulish hypothetical, if one were to place an unembalmed body in a concrete casket, and allowed the process of natural decomposition to work unimpeded by chemical preservatives, what would they then find?
They would find nothing but rich soil. Whatever its humbling poetic truth, our natural cycle is not from ashes to ashes, but from soil to soil—for in literal truth we (and all species) are the living earth.
That staggering truth was related to me by Britta Leigh Baskerville, fashion model, mom, soil scientist, composter and natural burial advocate. Baskerville was relating to me the commercial process of a Nevada state “green mortuary,” that she takes as an example to copy here. They add some straw (dead plants) to the casket to improve the fiber content of our soil, and they discreetly remove and grind our rock-like bones before restoring them to the reusable casket—as dust.
I had sought out Baskerville, because of two major pieces of pandemic-era California legislation regarding organizing new industries on our native soil. The first, CA Senate Bill 1383, requires that all CA businesses and residents compost (compliance beginning last year). And the second, CA Assembly Bill 351, permits “green burial” and “human composting” in CA, starting in 2027. That will be handled in “green mortuaries,” creating the option of receiving mortal remains in the form of living soil.
And I was eager to talk to Baskerville, as she is not only an expert in compost but an entrepreneur looking to position herself in this new green burial industry with her Common Ground Soil Services.
Cincinnatus Hibbard: Britta, soil is not dead matter but a living sub-ecosystem…
Britta Leigh Baskerville: A teaspoon of healthy soil can hold around a billion living microbes and thousands of species working together to recycle nutrients, store carbon and retain water.
Amazing.
When we choose ecological death-care, the compost created doesn’t just honor the body; it becomes part of this living system. Returning to the soil in this way provides a gift back to the community: fertile, life-supporting earth that strengthens local ecosystems and nourishes new growth. Natural (ecological) burial is part of a beautiful ecological vision, in which we do away with carbon intensive crematoriums and polluted and wasteful cemeteries give way to memorial tree parks and gardens.
Ecological death-care is about returning to the earth in a way that nourishes life instead of polluting it, repairing our relationship with the earth, both in life and in death.
…What’s next for you and your Common Ground Soil Services?
…Right now, we’re fundraising to complete our certifications and lay the groundwork for a facility that will offer these services in the next two years. This is about creating a local, community-oriented option that is both environmentally
and spiritually meaningful.
Learn more: Go to gofund.me/afed5e32 or commongroundcompost.org.
