We are seeking an amendment to the Cemetery and Funeral Services Act to allow natural organic reduction (NOR), also known as human composting, as a legal method of body disposition in British Columbia.

Currently, the only two choices BC residents have for disposal of their bodies is burial or flame cremation. Conventional burial and flame cremation have negative impacts on the environment and funeral service workers, including greenhouse gas production. Burial requires allocating land for cemetery use in perpetuity.

Green burial is a more sustainable alternative but is a limited option in BC. The few cemeteries that offer green burial are typically outside of  BC’s major cities. At costs ranging from $10,000 to $27,000, burial in green cemeteries is cost-prohibitive to many.

We're seeking the choice of a gentle and respectful option that is already available to residents in seven US states: natural organic reduction (NOR).

In NOR, the body is placed into a purpose-built vessel layered with wood chips, alfalfa and straw. Oxygen drawn into the vessel stimulates microbes in the body, and over the course of about two months, everything is broken down and transformed into nutrient rich. The soil can be given to family members and friends, or donated for use as part of ecosystem restoration.