Community Spotlight: Return Home Funeral Home

A photo taken by Neshia of a terramation vessel in the Return Home ceremony space.

Return Home is a green funeral home in Auburn, WA, that serves people wanting to choose natural organic reduction (commonly referred to as human composting). Being a green funeral home implies that an organization is dedicated to deathcare that is less harmful for the planet and the people who live and die here. Calling their process terramation, Return Home uses specially crafted vessels and organic matter like straw, alfalfa and wood chips, to help accelerate the process a body would naturally go through after burial. The result is nutrient-rich soil that can be used for promoting more life. Many families bring the soil home and lay it in their gardens. Others choose to have their person’s soil placed in Return Home’s Woodland, a local privately protected greenbelt.

The funeral directors I have met from Return Home are delightful to talk to and work with. They are committed to providing a gentle process that allows grieving community members unprecedented access to their loved one from the time of death all the way until the final bag of soil is delivered. They don’t take themselves too seriously but they are seriously passionate about their work and the families they serve. I highly recommend Return Home if you are interested in an eco-friendly, hands-on postmortem experience.