When I die, recompose me | Katrina Spade | TEDxOrcasIsland
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0:22 - 0:27I was going to come out and begin
by telling you very seriously -
0:28 - 0:30that you're all going to die one day.
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0:30 - 0:31(Laughter)
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0:31 - 0:34I'm pretty sure that after that video
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0:34 - 0:37and Katherine's wonderful talk
before the video, -
0:37 - 0:40you're all completely aware of that fact.
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0:40 - 0:41(Laughter)
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0:41 - 0:42So I'm not going to say it,
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0:42 - 0:46I am going to put it on the wall there.
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0:46 - 0:48[We're all gonna die.]
Because it's still true. -
0:48 - 0:50Even truer than it was five minutes ago.
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0:51 - 0:54(Laughter)
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0:54 - 0:56And even truer now... okay.
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0:57 - 1:01My name is Katrina Spade,
and I grew up in a medical family -
1:01 - 1:05where it was fairly normal to talk
about death and dying at the dinner table. -
1:06 - 1:09But I didn't go into medicine
like so many of my family members. -
1:09 - 1:13Instead, I went to architecture school
to learn how to design. -
1:14 - 1:17And while I was there,
I began to be curious -
1:17 - 1:20about what would happen
to my physical body after I died. -
1:21 - 1:23What would my nearest
and dearest do with me? -
1:25 - 1:29So if the existence
and the fact of your own mortality -
1:29 - 1:31doesn't get you down,
-
1:31 - 1:33the state of our current
funerary practices will. -
1:34 - 1:39Today, almost 50 percent of Americans
choose conventional burial. -
1:40 - 1:42Conventional burial begins with embalming,
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1:42 - 1:45where funeral staff drain bodily fluid
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1:45 - 1:49and replace it with a mixture
designed to preserve the corpse -
1:49 - 1:51and give it a lifelike glow.
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1:52 - 1:55Then, as you know,
bodies are buried in a casket -
1:55 - 1:57in a concrete-lined grave
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1:57 - 1:58in a cemetery.
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2:01 - 2:03All told, in US cemeteries,
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2:03 - 2:07we bury enough metal
to build a Golden Gate Bridge, -
2:08 - 2:12enough wood to build
1,800 single family homes, -
2:12 - 2:15and enough formaldehyde-laden
embalming fluid -
2:15 - 2:18to fill eight Olympic-size swimming pools.
-
2:19 - 2:23In addition, cemeteries
all over the world are reaching capacity. -
2:24 - 2:27Turns out, it doesn't really
make good business sense -
2:27 - 2:30to sell someone
a piece of land for eternity. -
2:30 - 2:32(Laughter)
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2:32 - 2:34Whose idea was that?
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2:34 - 2:38In some places, you can't buy a plot
no matter how much money you have. -
2:39 - 2:42As a result, cremation rates
have risen fast. -
2:42 - 2:47In 1950, if you suggested your grandmother
be incinerated after she died, -
2:47 - 2:50you'd probably be kicked
from the family deathbed. -
2:51 - 2:54But today, almost half
of Americans choose cremation, -
2:54 - 2:56citing simpler,
-
2:57 - 2:58cheaper
-
2:58 - 3:00and more ecological as reasons.
-
3:02 - 3:07I used to think that cremation
was a sustainable form of disposition, -
3:07 - 3:08but just think about it for a second.
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3:09 - 3:12Cremation destroys the potential we have
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3:12 - 3:14to give back to the earth
after we've died. -
3:16 - 3:20It uses an energy-intensive process
to turn bodies into ash, -
3:20 - 3:23polluting the air
and contributing to climate change. -
3:24 - 3:26All told, cremations in the US
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3:26 - 3:31emit a staggering 600 million
pounds of carbon dioxide -
3:31 - 3:32into the atmosphere annually.
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3:34 - 3:37The truly awful truth
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3:37 - 3:40is that the very last thing
that most of us will do on this earth -
3:41 - 3:42is poison it.
-
3:44 - 3:46[The last gesture
we make on Earth is toxic.] -
3:47 - 3:53It's like we've created, accepted
and death-denied our way into a status quo -
3:53 - 3:57that puts as much distance
between ourselves and nature -
3:57 - 3:58as is humanly possible.
-
3:59 - 4:02Our modern funerary practices
are designed to stave off -
4:02 - 4:04the natural processes
that happen to a body after death. -
4:05 - 4:08In other words, they're meant
to prevent us from decomposing. -
4:10 - 4:11But the truth
-
4:11 - 4:14is that nature is really,
really good at death. -
4:16 - 4:17We've all seen it.
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4:17 - 4:20When organic material dies in nature,
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4:20 - 4:24microbes and bacteria
break it down into nutrient-rich soil, -
4:24 - 4:25completing the life cycle.
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4:26 - 4:29In nature, death creates life.
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4:32 - 4:36Back in architecture school,
I was thinking about all this, -
4:36 - 4:39and I set out on a plan
to redesign death care. -
4:40 - 4:42Could I create a system
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4:42 - 4:44that was beneficial to the earth
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4:44 - 4:48and that used nature as a guide
rather than something to be feared? -
4:49 - 4:51Something that was gentle to the planet?
-
4:52 - 4:54That planet, after all,
supports our living bodies -
4:54 - 4:56our whole lives.
-
4:57 - 5:00And while I was mulling this all over
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5:00 - 5:01over the drawing board,
-
5:02 - 5:03the phone rang.
-
5:04 - 5:05It was my friend Kate.
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5:06 - 5:09She was like, "Hey,
have you heard about the farmers -
5:09 - 5:12who are composting whole cows?"
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5:13 - 5:16And I was like, "Mmmm."
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5:16 - 5:17(Laughter)
-
5:19 - 5:22Turns out that farmers
in agricultural institutions -
5:22 - 5:25have been practicing something
called livestock mortality composting -
5:25 - 5:27for decades.
-
5:27 - 5:31Mortality composting is where
you take an animal high in nitrogen -
5:31 - 5:34and cover it with co-composting materials
that are high in carbon. -
5:34 - 5:38It's an aerobic process,
so it requires oxygen, -
5:38 - 5:40and it requires
plenty of moisture as well. -
5:41 - 5:45In the most basic setup, a cow
is covered with a few feet of wood chips, -
5:45 - 5:47which are high in carbon,
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5:47 - 5:51and left outside for nature,
for breezes to provide oxygen -
5:51 - 5:53and rain to provide moisture.
-
5:54 - 5:56In about nine months,
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5:56 - 5:59all that remains
is a nutrient-rich compost. -
6:00 - 6:03The flesh has been decomposed entirely,
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6:04 - 6:05as have the bones.
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6:07 - 6:08I know.
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6:08 - 6:09(Laughter)
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6:09 - 6:14So I would definitely
call myself a decomposition nerd, -
6:14 - 6:17but I am far, far from a scientist,
-
6:17 - 6:19and one way you can tell this is true
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6:19 - 6:23is that I have often called
the process of composting "magic." -
6:24 - 6:27(Laughter)
-
6:27 - 6:30So basically, all we humans need to do
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6:31 - 6:34is create the right environment
for nature to do its job. -
6:34 - 6:38It's like the opposite
of antibacterial soap. -
6:38 - 6:39Instead of fighting them,
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6:39 - 6:42we welcome microbes and bacteria
in with open arms. -
6:43 - 6:46These tiny, amazing creatures
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6:46 - 6:50break down molecules
into smaller molecules and atoms, -
6:50 - 6:53which are then incorporated
into new molecules. -
6:54 - 6:58In other words, that cow is transformed.
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6:58 - 7:00It's no longer a cow.
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7:01 - 7:02It's been cycled back into nature.
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7:04 - 7:06See? Magic.
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7:06 - 7:07(Laughter)
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7:09 - 7:12You can probably imagine
the light bulb that went off in my head -
7:12 - 7:13after I received that phone call.
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7:14 - 7:16I began designing a system
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7:16 - 7:19based on the principles
of livestock mortality composting -
7:20 - 7:23that would take human beings
and transform them into soil. -
7:28 - 7:30Fast-forward five years
-
7:30 - 7:34and the project has grown in ways
I truly never could have imagined. -
7:34 - 7:39We've created a scalable,
replicable non-profit urban model -
7:39 - 7:42based on the science
of livestock mortality composting -
7:42 - 7:45that turns human beings into soil.
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7:46 - 7:49We've partnered and collaborated
with experts in soil science, -
7:49 - 7:52decomposition, alternative death care,
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7:52 - 7:53law and architecture.
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7:54 - 7:56We've raised funds
from foundations and individuals -
7:57 - 8:01in order to design
a prototype of this system, -
8:01 - 8:05and we've heard from tens of thousands
of people all over the world -
8:05 - 8:07who want this option to be available.
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8:09 - 8:10OK.
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8:10 - 8:12In the next few years,
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8:12 - 8:18it's our goal to build the first
full-scale human composting facility -
8:18 - 8:20right in the city of Seattle.
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8:20 - 8:24(Applause)
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8:28 - 8:29Imagine it,
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8:30 - 8:32part public park,
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8:32 - 8:34part funeral home,
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8:34 - 8:36part memorial to the people we love,
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8:36 - 8:40a place where we can reconnect
with the cycles of nature -
8:40 - 8:42and treat bodies
with gentleness and respect. -
8:45 - 8:47The infrastructure is simple.
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8:47 - 8:48Inside a vertical core,
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8:48 - 8:52bodies and wood chips undergo
accelerated natural decomposition, -
8:52 - 8:54or composting,
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8:54 - 8:56and are transformed into soil.
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8:59 - 9:04When someone dies, their body
is taken to a human composting facility. -
9:04 - 9:07After wrapping the deceased
in a simple shroud, -
9:07 - 9:10friends and family carry the body
to the top of the core, -
9:11 - 9:14which contains the natural
decomposition system. -
9:17 - 9:19During a laying in ceremony,
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9:19 - 9:21they gently place the body into the core
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9:21 - 9:22and cover it with wood chips.
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9:23 - 9:27This begins the gentle transformation
from human to soil. -
9:29 - 9:32Over the next few weeks,
the body decomposes naturally. -
9:33 - 9:36Microbes and bacteria
break down carbon, then protein, -
9:36 - 9:38to create a new substance,
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9:38 - 9:39a rich, earthy soil.
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9:41 - 9:43This soil can then be used
to grow new life. -
9:44 - 9:46Eventually, you could be a lemon tree.
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9:50 - 9:52(Applause)
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9:52 - 9:53Yeah, thank you.
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9:53 - 9:56(Applause)
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9:59 - 10:01Who's thinking about
lemon meringue pie right now? -
10:01 - 10:03(Laughter)
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10:03 - 10:04A lemon drop?
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10:05 - 10:07Something stronger?
-
10:08 - 10:10So in addition to housing the core,
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10:10 - 10:13these buildings will function
to support the grieving -
10:13 - 10:17by providing space for memorial services
and end-of-life planning. -
10:17 - 10:20The potential for repurposing is huge.
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10:20 - 10:24Old churches and industrial warehouses
can be converted into places -
10:24 - 10:27where we create soil and honor life.
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10:28 - 10:31We want to bring back the aspect of ritual
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10:31 - 10:33that's been diluted
over the past hundred years -
10:34 - 10:36as cremation rates have risen
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10:36 - 10:38and religious affiliation has declined.
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10:40 - 10:43Our Seattle facility will function
as a model for these places -
10:43 - 10:45all over the world.
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10:45 - 10:48We've heard from communities
in South Africa, Australia, -
10:48 - 10:51the UK, Canada and beyond.
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10:52 - 10:54We're creating a design toolkit
-
10:54 - 10:58that will help others
design and build facilities -
10:58 - 11:01that will contain technical specifications
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11:01 - 11:03and regulatory best practices.
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11:03 - 11:06We want to help individuals,
organizations, -
11:06 - 11:08and down the road, municipalities
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11:08 - 11:11design and build facilities
in their own cities. -
11:12 - 11:16The idea is that every one of these places
should look and feel completely different -
11:16 - 11:18with the same system inside.
-
11:18 - 11:22They're really meant to be designed
for the neighborhood in which they reside -
11:22 - 11:24and the community which they serve.
-
11:27 - 11:30The other idea is
for supportive staff to be on hand -
11:30 - 11:33to help families with the care
and preparation of loved ones' bodies. -
11:35 - 11:38We're banishing practices
that bewilder and disempower -
11:38 - 11:42and creating a system
that is beautiful and meaningful -
11:42 - 11:44and transparent.
-
11:45 - 11:48We believe that access
to ecological death care -
11:48 - 11:49is a human right.
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11:53 - 11:56OK, so you know the old saying,
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11:56 - 11:58if you can compost a cow,
you can compost a human? -
11:58 - 12:01(Laughter)
-
12:03 - 12:05Turns out, it's true.
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12:06 - 12:09Since 2014, we've been
running a pilot project -
12:10 - 12:11in the hills of North Carolina
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12:11 - 12:15with the Forensic Anthropology Department
at Western Carolina University. -
12:16 - 12:20Six donor bodies
have been covered in wood chips, -
12:20 - 12:22oxygen provided by breezes,
-
12:22 - 12:24microbes and bacteria doing their jobs.
-
12:26 - 12:29This pilot program has allowed us
to demonstrate that it's possible -
12:29 - 12:33to harness the incredible power
of natural decomposition -
12:33 - 12:35to turn human bodies into soil,
-
12:36 - 12:38and we're working
with other universities as well. -
12:39 - 12:41Soil scientists
at Washington State University, -
12:43 - 12:44the grad students, anyway,
-
12:44 - 12:48are working to compost
teeth with amalgam fillings -
12:48 - 12:51so that we can understand
what happens to the mercury therein. -
12:52 - 12:54Next up, we'll be beginning experiments
-
12:54 - 12:58to determine what happens
to chemo drugs and pharmaceuticals -
12:58 - 12:59during the composting process,
-
12:59 - 13:02and whether additional
remediation will be needed. -
13:06 - 13:07By the way,
-
13:08 - 13:10composting creates a great deal of heat,
-
13:10 - 13:12especially this particular
type of composting. -
13:14 - 13:19One week after we began
composting our fifth donor body, -
13:19 - 13:22the temperature inside
that mound of wood chips -
13:22 - 13:25reached 158 degrees Fahrenheit.
-
13:26 - 13:29Imagine harnessing that heat
to create energy -
13:29 - 13:32or comfort the grieving on a cold day.
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13:33 - 13:35I have to think it's magic.
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13:37 - 13:41And maybe, that's the point
of all this. -
13:42 - 13:45Science and magic -
they're kind of the same thing. -
13:48 - 13:50Thank you so much for joining me
on this journey -
13:50 - 13:53to transform
this incredible human event. -
13:53 - 13:55The death care revolution has begun.
-
13:56 - 13:58It's an exciting time to be alive.
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13:58 - 14:02(Applause)
- Title:
- When I die, recompose me | Katrina Spade | TEDxOrcasIsland
- Description:
-
What if our bodies could help grow new life after we die, instead of being embalmed and buried or turned to ash? Join Katrina Spade as she discusses "recomposition" -- a system that uses the natural decomposition process to turn our deceased into life-giving soil, honoring both the earth and the departed.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDxTalks
- Duration:
- 14:06
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for When I die, recompose me | Katrina Spade | TEDxOrcasIsland | ||
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for When I die, recompose me | Katrina Spade | TEDxOrcasIsland | ||
TED Translators admin edited English subtitles for When I die, recompose me | Katrina Spade | TEDxOrcasIsland |