"The soil is the great connector of our lives, the source and destination of all." - Wendell Berry

As many US states move to legalize composting of human bodies, a growing number of people are looking to this option as a more environmentally-conscious way to be laid to rest. This webinar series covers the topic from a composter’s perspective, from an overview of the process to business implications. Part 1 of the series, presented by renowned speakers, will cover the following:

• Development and status of composting as an alternative for treating human remains (Jean Bonhotal)
• The basic and evolving process for composting human remains; how it differs from conventional and animal mortality composting (John Paul)
• The environmental impacts and idiosyncrasies of composting human remains (Michael Bryan-Brown)
• NOT business as usual: A cautionary tale for prospective composters (Bob Rynk)

Part 2 will focus on the business side of composting human remains – regulations, barriers, and potential challenges. Additional details are forthcoming.

Webinar Cost: $19 for USCC members*, $29 for non-members

*To receive discounted registration for members, please be sure you are signed into your USCC account before starting your registration.

This webinar will be recorded and made available to all registrants in a follow-up email.

About the presenters

Jean Bonhotal has worked at the Cornell Waste Management Institute for over 20 years, reducing, repurposing, recycling, and composting solid and organic residuals to redirect resources from our waste stream. Currently her time includes work on food scrap, manure, carcass, and butcher waste composting education and research. Jean’s previous experience includes work with the US Forest and National Park Service, US EPA, NYS DEC, and the landscape and greenhouse industry. She has received an M.S. degree in Education and Communication from SUNY Binghamton, a B.S. in Biology from Utah State University, and an A.A.S. in Natural Resources from SUNY Morrisville.	John Paul, Ph.D., P.Ag., developed the human body composting process for Return Home beginning in 2019. Dr. Paul is a soil scientist with a passion for the health of our soil and the importance of recycling organic matter. He has more than 30 years of experience with composting all types of organic material. Dr. Paul began composting animal mortalities in 1993, developing composting protocol for Avian Flu response along with videos and fact sheets for composting farm animals. He has integrated the science of composting with his experience in developing the human body composting process. Dr. Paul has a Ph.D. in Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry from the University of Guelph.
Michael Bryan-Brown is the Founder and Director of Engineering at Green Mountain Technologies. He has been designing and installing state of the art composting systems for over 30 years. After working in the consulting world for several years, he left and started Green Mountain Technologies in 1992 to develop composting systems for the US market. He holds 4 patents related to composting, has authored multiple technical papers, and was a contributing author for The Composting Handbook. Michael has a Bachelors in Environmental Engineering from Tufts University.	Bob Rynk, Ph.D. has been researching and teaching about composting for over 30 years. Bob is Professor Emeritus at the State University of New York, Cobleskill, having retired in 2019. At SUNY Cobleskill, he coordinated the Environmental and Energy Technology Bachelor’s degree program and taught courses on composting, waste management, and bioenergy. Prior to SUNY Cobleskill, Bob was Senior Technical Editor for BioCycle magazine and Executive Editor of the peer-reviewed journal, Compost Science and Utilization. Bob is the principal editor and an author for The Composting Handbook, and editor of its 1992 predecessor, the On-Farm Composting Handbook.

Hosted by

CREF supports initiatives that enhance the stature and practices of the composting industry by supporting scientific research, increasing awareness, and educating practitioners and the public to advance environmentally and economically sustainable organics recycling. We increase awareness and educate the public through targeted outreach activities; foster scientific research opportunities; and advance the stature and practice of the composting industry by offering professional development opportunities and disseminating best practices.

Thank you to our sponsors

Sponsors wanted! Contact Beth Simone at (833) 812-2733 ext. 2 or bethsimone@compostfoundation.org to learn about sponsorship opportunities for this webinar.