94% of funerals in the U.S. result in cremation or conventional burial
Minnesota currently offers 4 body disposition options...
NOR provides a natural and sustainable alternative
Roughly 50,000 Minnesotans die each year. by 2030, the number of Minnesota seniors aged 65+ is projected to reach almost 1.5 million, making sustainable death care options like NOR increasingly important.
70+ percent of Minnesotans were cremated in 2022 - an estimated 35,000 cremations. This process burns fossil fuels, emits CO2, and can release mercury from dental fillings in to the atmosphere.
Burial with embalming consumes large quantities of metals, hardwoods, concrete, and hazardous embalming fluids as well as the continued need for land.
NOR uses 1/8 the energy of flame cremation, and saves over a metric ton of CO2 per person.
Proven safe and effective in a 2018 study by the Washington State University Soil Science Department.
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Soil can be used to plant a tree or a memorial garden, or it can be donated to conservation projects.
GLEN STUBBE, STAR TRIBUNE Katie Wheeler held a photograph of her late husband, Steve, and their daughters Meskele, 16, left, and Shibere, 18, right. Wheeler’s husband died in September of cancer and was committed to having his body composted so he was sent to Return Home near Seattle, where it is underway.
Twin Cities man's dying wish: Compost me for the benefit of the planet
He died in September, but Steve Wheeler's journey could change Minnesota. Check out this Star Tribune article documenting a Minnesota man and his family's commitment to NOR as a final nod to the environment.
Hear from Steve directly via his personal testimonial.
Learn more about NOR in MN...​