Tag: cremation

EOLPodcast

Ep. 336 Better Place Forests: Reimagining Cemeteries with Sandy Gibson

kwyattmd

Learn why forests are the cemeteries of the future.

My guest Sandy Gibson is the co-founder and CEO of Better Place Forests, a sustainable alternative to traditional cemeteries for families who choose cremation. Sandy founded several companies and worked in finance and software before founding Better Place Forests. He shares how experiencing significant loss early in his life helped inspire him decide to reimagine cemeteries and make them good for the entire world. You’ll learn how you can find “your tree” and plan ahead for a sustainable, earth-friendly disposition after you die. Learn more about Better Place Forests at the website:

www.betterplaceforests.com

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How the idea for Better Place Forests came about.
  • Why it is important to reimagine cemeteries right now.
  • How Better Place Forests are intended to be places for families and communities to come together.
  • How the service works for those “at need” or those choosing a tree in advance.
  • What a “spreading ceremony” consists of
  • The importance of rituals at the end of life
  • Where Better Place Forests are located and may expand in the future
  • How Better Place is planting trees to offset the carbon footprint of fire cremation
  • Advice for people experiencing loss and grief at this time

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my new patrons Louise O’Brien and Daraleen C. Shales! Your contributions make all the difference.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 334 Terramation: A Green Option for Death Care with Micah Truman and Brie Smith

kwyattmd

Learn about an exciting environmentally friendly option for disposition after death.

My guests today are Micah Truman, the CEO and Founder of Return Home.com, and Brie Smith who is the Services Director for the company. Return Home is designed to ensure a sustainable future for the planet by using terramation, an environmentally friendly option for disposition after death. They discuss the process of terramation (a form of human composting) and how it is available right now to people from all 50 states at Return Home. You can learn more at their website:

www.returnhome.com

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How the inspiration for Return Home came about
  • What is terramation and how it works
  • The benefits of terramation over fire cremation or natural burial
  • How Return Home is able to service clients from other states (outside of Washington state)
  • What is possible for funerals and memorial services at Return Home
  • The end product of terramation and what can be done with it
  • What EOL educators should teach their clients about terramation and where to find resources
  • How one can make plans in advance to utilize the services of Return Home

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my new patron fotoguyz! Your contributions make all the difference.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 291 The Right Way of Death: Restoring the American Funeral Business with Eric Layer

kwyattmd

Learn how the funeral business needs to evolve to meet the needs of our changing society.

My guest Eric Layer grew up around funeral homes and cemeteries where both of his parents worked. Now as a partner in a marketing advisory firm he has taken a critical look at the funeral business and analyzed what has gone wrong and what is still right within this necessary service industry. He is the author of the book The Right Way of Death: Restoring the American Funeral Business to Its True Calling and shares his insights with us. Learn more at his website:

www.therightwayofdeath.com

Get the book here.

Listen here:

This episode includes:

  • How the funeral industry has failed to evolve with the rest of society
  • Research on ceremonies and rituals for death around the world
  • Why death rituals are important
  • Dr. J. William Worden’s 4 “tasks” of grief and how funeral homes should help with those tasks
  • Direct cremation and why is it a concerning practice (in light of the tasks of grief)
  • The challenge for funeral directors (and other end-of-life care providers) in dealing with people who are facing the worst crisis of their lives
  • How to legitimately build a business out of work that is also a service to others
  • What is “the right way of death”

Links mentioned in this episode:

  • Get Eric Layer’s book here
  • Book: Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy by J. William Worden
  • Sign up for the 2021 online reading group A Year of Reading Dangerously at this link
  • Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound: 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
  • Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
  • Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
  • Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest supporter Toni Marie Van Aernum! Your contributions make all the difference!

EOLPodcast

Ep. 218 Living Reef Memorials: Saving the Ocean One Funeral at a Time with Rob Sarnie and David Stubbers

kwyattmd

Learn about an ecological alternative to traditional burial the supports the health of the ocean.

PodcastReef

My guests Rob Sarnie and David Stubbers of Living Reef Memorial offer a unique and  “green” option for after-death disposition that rejuvenates the ocean habitat in the process. They will share with us how cremains are used to create living reefs that increase marine biodiversity and heal parts of the ocean where coral reefs have been destroyed. This is a fascinating example of using creativity to make the world a better place and offer alternative means of disposition at the same time. Learn more about this work at their website:

www.livingreefmemorial.com

Listen here:

 

This episode includes:

  • How a living reef  rehabilitates marine habitat and increases biodiversity
  • How cremains are utilized in the building of a reef
  • How a living reef can be memorialized for a loved one
  • Options for holding a memorial service or funeral during the deployment of a reef
  • Who might choose a living reef for disposition of a loved one
  • Why a living reef memorial might be preferable to a full-body burial at sea or scattering of ashes
  • How to make arrangements now for your own living reef after you die
  • How profits from living reef memorials are being used to save baby sea turtles

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest Patron Beverly Brodsky, your contributions mean everything to me!

 

EOLPodcast

Ep. 190 Reimagining Death: Wisdom for After-Death Care with Lucinda Herring

kwyattmd

Learn about home funerals and green burials and how to plan ahead for a personalized, Earth-friendly end of life.

PodcastHerring

My guest Lucinda Herring has worked at the cutting edge of the green funeral movement for more than twenty years. Today she is one of the leading voices for more healing and ecological ways to care for our dead. She will discuss how we can prepare in advance for after-death care, including her new book “Reimagining Death: Stories and Practical Wisdom for Home Funerals and Green Burials.”

Learn more at Lucinda’s website:

www.lucindaherring.com

reimaginingdeath

Get the book here.

Listen here:

 

This interview includes:

  • What are “advance after-death care directives”
  • Three stages of dying and death
  • Why it is important to plan ahead for after death
  • Current options for green burial
  • Laws and regulations governing green burial
  • Benefits of home funerals for families and the dying
  • Obstacles to home funerals and green burials

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on Patreon.com/eolu, especially my new Patrons, Sara Tinnesz and Rachel Giger.

 

 

End of Life, EOLPodcast

Ep. 46 Art and the End-of-Life with Irina Jordan

kwyattmd

Join Dr. Karen Wyatt and her guest Irina Jordan, Founder and Owner of ARTISURN, an online marketplace for handcrafted cremation urns, jewelry and keepsakes made by talented artisans. We will discuss the role of the creative arts in remembering our loved ones or beloved pets at the end-of-life and in healing grief. According to Irina Jordan, ARTISURN craftsmen are sensitive to the deep emotional component required in creating sacred objects and we will learn how they do this work. In this interview you will discover:

  • how cremation urns are created and measured
  • why a handmade cremation urn is preferred
  • how cremation jewelry is made, using ashes fused with glass
  • stories of grief healing through sacred art

Learn more about Irina’s work at www.artisurn.com

You can download and print Irina’s gift: Coloring Through Grief – a beautiful adult coloring book – at this link:  http://tinyurl.com/artisurn  You’ll receive a promo code for a 10% discount you can use on any Artisurn handmade cremation urn.

Thanks for tuning in! Remember to support this podcast and the EOLU interview series at www.patreon.com/eolu !! Thanks to Irina Jordan and Artisurn for their support of EOLU!!

End of Life, EOLPodcast

Ep. 02 Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Cremation

kwyattmd

Interview with Pam Gehrs and Colby Hitchcock

Tune in to this interview with two funeral home directors, Colby Hitchcock and Pam Gehrs, as we discuss the pros and cons of cremation as an alternative for after-death disposition. Whether you need to know about cremation in your personal or professional life, this interview will enlighten and inform you, and hopefully, dispel your fears about this increasingly common practice. Become aware of the facts about cremation so that you can advise your loved ones, patients and friends with accurate information and insights.