For some people, the fact that New York State allows human composting is barely a blip on the radar. For those who are committed to creating a greener world, this offers an opportunity to leave behind a greener legacy that goes far beyond a diminished carbon footprint. Here’s what you need to know about the bill that allows human composting in the state of New York and why passing this bill matters.
When New York State Allows Human Composting
Senate Bill S6282C is the bill that makes human composting permissible in the State of New York. The bill was sponsored by Senator Brian Kavanagh and cosponsored by Senators Leroy Comrie, James Gaughran, Michael Gianaris, Andrew Gounardes, Brad Hoylman, Liz Krueger, Rachael May, and Julia Salazar. The bill effectively authorizes specific community composting operations to utilize parklands without being found in violation of alienation restrictions.
This is in combination with Assembly Bill A382 which was signed into law by Governor Hochul, which allowed human composting to take place in the state of New York. New York State allows human composting, and is now the sixth state to do so. The two laws combine to provide greater protection for those who wish to consider human composting for their remains or those of loved ones.
Why Consider Human Composting for Yourself or Your Loved Ones?
What better way to keep someone’s memory alive than by using their remains to create a living garden reminder? What better legacy exists than to create a memorial garden or use the remains to fertilize a tree? The remains can be used to create a living monument the family can revisit time and again as a reminder of a loved one lost.
The benefits of human composting to soil are abundant. It conserves energy that would otherwise be used to create artificial fertilizers and instead improves soil quality by creating life-sustaining nutrients within the soil as the human body decomposes. Even better, the creation of this soil food doesn’t harm the planet or release harmful pollutants into the soil, waterways, or air. It offers a kinder, gentler method of fertilizing soil, preserving appropriate nitrogen levels, and is far better than traditional burial methods that utilize synthetic materials that are potentially damaging to the planet and formaldehyde used to preserve the bodies. It is even superior, from a planetary perspective, to cremation that releases large volumes of carbon dioxide into the air – equal to that of driving hundreds of kilometers.
For some people, it goes back to the circle of life and carries a deeper, more personal meaning, than the impact human composting may have on the environment. For these people the idea of returning to dust in this manner facilitates the circle, allowing it to turn faster.
New York State Allows Human Composting and New Options
The big reality is this, the fact that New York State allows human composting means much of the nation will follow allowing people more options for their final resting place than are available in most circumstances. For most Americans, the options are either burial or cremation.
Human composting offers yet another choice and gives voice to those Americans who prefer an alternative that is more affordable, more practical, and more meaningful to them – on personal levels.
Why Consider Human Composting in New York State?
Return Home isn’t a traditional funeral service provider or crematorium. We aren’t committed to numbers and understand that when planning your final moments or the final resting place for a loved one, guiding factors like kindness, love, compassion, and inclusivity are essential. People have many different reasons for choosing to consider human composting and our mission is to make the experience one that will continue giving back long after the initial act and composting process has ended.
Return Home offers a transparent process so that you know what is going on at every state and provide ceremonies to help family members and loved ones find closure and comfort in the human composting process. The finished product can be used for various reasons, including to fuel a memorial garden or help grow a beautiful tree to provide shade, joy, and beauty for many decades to come. The idea is to create a living memorial for friends and family rather than one made of stone or ash.
Human composting provides people with the opportunity to provide healing and comfort for generations to come in one final act. The fact that New York State allows human composting after the passing of Senate Bill S6282C and Assembly Bill A382 provides individuals and families an intriguing opportunity to live on – long after their traditional lives have ended.
