Minnesota funeral director Scott Mueller is a proponent of “Green Burials”.  Mueller makes a comment in this recent article from the Rochester (MN) Post-Bulletin titled “As interest in green burials grows, so does some opposition”.  Mueller’s comment is this, “As long as people have walked this earth, we’ve had green burials.  Every cemetery around here, until the 1940s, has green burials.”

While there are two Minnesota cemeteries that the article states are green burial cemeteries, the article also makes note of at least two instances where Minnesota authorities have either stopped or delayed the establishment of cemeteries proposed for green burials.  One in Carlton County where, according to the article, neighboring property owners objected and one in Winona County where the county attorney issued a cease-and-desist order.

The conflict in Carlton County, again according to the article, “prompted lawmakers to put a moratorium on natural burial cemeteries in order for the Minnesota Health Department to study the environmental and health impacts of green burials and human composting.”

Based on that report both the Minnesota House and Minnesota Senate designed bills about the establishment of new green cemeteries.  In both of those bills the legislation proposed that no more than 300 burials per acre be permitted and the proximity to bodies of water be established.  Neither bill made it to a floor vote by the end of the Minnesota Legislative Session for 2025 but proponents of green cemeteries were not fans of the limited burials per acre.  In the article Mueller states, “Nobody is going to pursue that because there isn’t going to be enough acreage or enough revenue to justify that.”

Minnesota eventually lifted the moratorium on green cemeteries and effective in July 2025 Minnesota became the 11th state to legalize Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), known by some as human composting.  However, as of this writing I’m not aware of any facility that is operating or applied for a NOR permit.

Mueller, in the linked article, says these methods of human dispositions are a reflection “. . .of a shift in cultural priorities.  Fewer people are affiliated with religion and people are embracing environmental awareness. . . . . .I think a funeral should reflect our lifestyle and should reflect what’s important in life.  It represents my choice, it is important to me having an impact on the environment. If I can express that through my death, that’s important to me.”

Related articles about pushback from these methods of disposition —  Human composting, alkaline hydrolysis not acceptable for burial say U.S. bishops.  National Catholic Reporter (2023 article)

Funeral Director Daily take:  Scott Mueller, who by the way, is a classmate of mine from the University of Minnesota and a consumate proponent of “serving the families who call him” , makes good points in this article.  Rochester (MN) funeral director Colin Maxon also makes good points in the article when he says, “We try to accommodate what people are wanting.”

If what people want are more simple, green options, the industry and eventually laws will change. “That barrier is going to break at some point,” continued Maxon.

From my point of view we live in a society where people want options that fit their own attitudes and beliefs.  We no longer live in the era when Henry Ford made this quote famous, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it’s black”. 

It’s my opinion that if funeral homes are not going to provide, or facilitate, dispositions options such as natural organic reduction, green funerals, and alkaline hydrolysis someone else in the community will and will siphon off customers over the years as these methods become more popular.  I think it is imperative that funeral homes work with their legislators to get these disposition methods approved as long as public health is maintained in doing so.  To fight the processes simply to force client families to go out of state or use the disposition methods available at your funeral home today will, again in my opinion, not be good for the long-range financial health of Death Care providers.

About the Henry Ford quote:  I was aware of the quote and decided to use it in this article.  However, when looking it up I learned that while it is a true quote atrributed to Henry Ford, customers could get their Model T in other colors.  Here’s what I learned about the Model T manufactured between 1914 and 1925:

“This (paint color) policy was not arbitrary but stemmed from a focus on efficiency, as black paint dried much faster than other colors, allowing for quicker assembly-line production and lower costs. While the policy became prominent between 1914 and 1925, the Model T was available in other colors before and after this period.”  

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

On Tuesday morning I had to alter my running schedule because of rain showers.  So, I took to our indoor treadmill to get my daily exercise and had a nice run while watching the Fox Business Stuart Varney morning show.

One of the short business news stories that came on was that they believed you would see McDonald’s stock “pop” a little on Tuesday because they were introducing meal items and pricing to draw the low-budget consumer in for “Back-to-School” meals.  The hosts of the program also made a point to let viewers know that McDonald’s marketing to the “low-budget” clientele was very different from most products that seem to market to the more affluent audience with more disposable incomes.

I had also just read an article that morning about a potential decline of white collar workers and a potential gain of blue collar workers in the U.S.  because of the expected reshoring of American manufacturing jobs and the expected increase of artificial intelligence in white-collar business use.  That combination made me wonder about the traditional (casketed burial) markets that over the years have been overtaken by cremation choices by consumers.

I grew up in a small community in rural America and remember my father’s words when a new owner took ownership of the other funeral home in town.  That owner seemed to be in the newspaper all the time and was quick to become an active member of the Chamber of Commerce.  My dad made the comment to me at the time when I was in middle school and I still remember it to this day, “Let him wine and dine those people all he wants.  We will be happy taking care of the farmers and blue collar workers and there is a lot more of them”.

Now, my dad was an “old shoe” if there ever was one.  He would not know what a “Cesare Attolini brand” suit was, much less ever wear one.  He once told me that he drove an old American Motors Rambler car because “it was all he needed”.  Yet, he took care of any family that called our funeral home with incredible care, compassion, and credit — and most of our clients were the farm families and the blue-collar worker families that sometimes needed all of those attributes.

My dad’s 1966 “Basic White” four-door American Motors Rambler

I took his quotes and actions to heart and have always believed that “Farm families and blue-collar workers” were the backbone of traditional funeral service.  Of course, in our community they were also the back-bone of the churches and school boards . . . . . . and they believed in the traditions and mores of traditional funeral services.

Here’s an interesting graphic (below) that shows the manufacturing losses in America since what I would call the “Globalization of Manufacturing”.  Maybe it is just coincidental, but the dates of loss of these blue-collar workers somewhat corresponds with the percentage increases in cremation related services in America.

This next graphic (below) shows that America’s Middle Income (Blue-Collar) people have dropped from having an aggregate of 62% of the income in 1970 to only 43% of the income today.  And, as you can see Upper Income Americans now control about 48% of all income — up from about 29% in 1970.  And, the Lower Income tier has stayed relatively stable over the past 50 years.

So, my historic take is, the backbone of traditional funeral service was making, in relative terms, less money while the cost of traditional funeral services was going up.  It should be no surprise that low-cost cremation demand also went up over those years.  I don’t think it should come as any surprise that one traditional funeral home company that has catered to the “cost-conscious” traditional funeral consumer over the years, Newcomer Funeral Group, has seemingly done very well by doing so.

I was also moved during this exercise to find out what do companies appeal to when they “chase the affluent consumer” audience?  I found this short article and lengthier white-paper from Mastercard titled “Reaching new heights:  Understanding the nuances and potential of affluent consumers in a changing market”.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

I didn’t read the white-paper but did notice one of the nuances of affluent consumers is that  the affluent consumer likes “new and innovative products”.  The article goes on to state “This influential audience presents unparalleled opportunities for brands ready to adapt and innovate.”

When I go back in history and look at the rise in cremation I would argue that cremation in America was “innovative” in the 1960’s and 1970’s which may be one reason it was adopted by the affluent early on and that the relative financial strength loss of the middle income in the years following (coupled with the increased prices of traditional funerals) both had something to do with the increased level of cremation over the past 4-5 decades.

While many traditional funeral homes fought cremation, there were some really innovative firms that saw the “cremation innovation” and went full-scale into the process.  Many even changed their brand by taking out the words “funeral home” and inserting “cremation”.  Over time, some of the firms that saw the wave and re-branded are some of the largest volume firms in the country today.

Thinking about the future —  If these hypotheses are in any way somewhat correct one would suggest that a company with an innovative Death Care product, such as alkaline hydroysis or natural organic reduction should be looking for the “early adopters” among the affluent members of society.

With Mastercard’s theory that the affluent “like innovation” one would suggest that innovative Death Care companies, and this would include after-market cremation products like Better Place Forests and Parting Stone, would find the most success in affluent zip-code areas.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

When an investment is made in a business venture the investor has high hopes for a multiple return on their investment.  That can certainly be said for private equity companies who make some of those investments.

Unlike individual investors where passion may fuel the investment, most private equity investments are done with a large amount of due diligence put into the venture before the investment is consummated.  Because of that in-depth research, many private equity investments turn out to be wise decisions.

That is why I think the recent investment of 3 Boomerang Capital into human disposition alkaline hydrolysis company Bio-Response Solutions is very interesting . .  and potentially lucrative.  You can see a press release on that investment here.

Alkaline hydrolysis is now legal in over half of the United States.  See a map of those states here.

Here is the 3 Boomerang Capital website

Here is the website for Bio-Response Solutions

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  Even though human disposition via alkaline hydroysis is legal in over half of the states of the United States.  My thought is that it has not caught on among consumers as I thought it would by now.  I believe a part of the “why” of that situation is that the American consumer is not fully aware of it as funeral homes and other facilities with “flame cremation” equipment are interested in using that equipment rather than invest in the equipment necessary to operate an alkaline hydrolysis operation.

Another part of the “why” is that of the Catholic Church’s stand against it.  You can read about that in this article from Aleteia.

It is also a reminder that “flame” cremation did not catch on in America until 1963 when the Vatican’s Holy Office approved the process.  You can read about that here in this Catholic cremation timeline furnished by Better Place Forests.  At that time cremation was the choice of only about 4% of United States dispositions.

Related — Cremation in America 2001-2013 (with inter-active map).  Slate

My guess is that we are going to hear more about alkaline hydrolysis in the future and it could very well be that those who invest in the process now may reap the benefits.

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

It hit me the other day while I was in the process of reading a new book, “Meeting the Moment”.  It’s a story of how six United States Presidents “met the moment” and “Inspired Presidential Leadership that transformed America”.  

It’s also probably an odd place to get insight and inspiration for putting down a continuing change in American death care choices.  However, when I read of the scene that President Abraham Lincoln viewed as he arrived in Gettysburg for the famous Gettysburg Address on November 18, 1863, (the address, to dedicate the cemetery at Gettysburg, was presented on November 19) it struck me how trends slowly move forward and many times become societal mores over time.

According to the book, here’s what President Lincoln saw when his train pulled into Gettysburg, “. . .he couldn’t escape the solemness of the occasion, as spread out across the train platform were hundreds of coffins set for reburial, a reminder of the great human cost and sacrifice exhibited in this small community only months earlier.”

You see, embalming was something pretty new in 1863.  Up until that time it was mainly done in the United States for anatomical and medical study.  However, some say that under President Lincoln’s direction, embalmers were sent into the field to preserve deceased Union soldiers so they could be brought back to their home areas for burial.

Those coffins on the Gettysburg railroad platform were most likely intended for the eventual transport of Union soldiers back to their home community.  They were more than likely to be used for Union soldiers who lost their lives at Gettysburg and had been identified, embalmed, and eventually would be casketed (or put in coffins) for their trip home.

Up until that time in America, deceased citizens were hastily buried with no preservation. . . a preservation that eventually allowed for family visitations.

That change, to embalming for preservation, that is evident at Gettysburg is what probably started the movement that grew into the business of the modern American funeral home.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

It wasn’t long after that that the care of death in America became a profession and industry. . . and, it can probably all be traced back to the embalming of the body for preservation.  It sprouted embalming classes (my grandfather attended one in 1905), it sprouted the business of wholesale caskets (Batesville Casket was launched in 1884), and it was also in that time period that businesses dedicated to the soul purpose of taking care of the deceased were launched.  . . . . many funeral firms that date back farther than that date in the U.S. can trace their history to cabinet of furniture making and later morphing into the funeral business.

There is no doubt that the embalming for the preservation of the deceased lead to the building of “funeral homes” and businesses all across America.  And, for over 150 years, even with the advent of cremation as an alternative human disposition option, funeral homes have thrived.

However, things do change over time. . . .and America now is a nation in which only about 35-50% of all deceased are embalmed.  Direct cremation with no viewing prior to the cremation has led to that change. . . . .

And I think what we are now seeing in the small growth of other forms of human disposition will over time continue that movement.  There is no doubt that the American public has a desire for other options at this time and, in my book, that is or will become, the biggest driver of how American death care vendors will operate their businesses in the next 50 to 75 years.

According to this article, alkaline hydrolysis, or water cremation as it is termed, is legal in 28 states and, according to this article, natural organic reduction, or human composting as it is termed, is legal in 11 states.  And, both options are expected to grow legally as state legislatures convene in 2025.

Movements like this happen slowly, but once they pick up steam they are hard to stop.  I think that is the case with the growing human disposition options in America.  You know that they are somewhat reaching a mainstream of thought when America’s largest death care purveyor begins offering the options. . . . . This press release (which is already a year and a half old) from Service Corporation International tells of them doing just that.

Here’s what SCI Seattle Market Director at the time Keith Baumgardner said, “Our client families have been asking for different options to inter their loved one.  Human composting is a new way of returning our bodies to the earth.”

There are a lot of other issues happening in the greater death care world, but if I had to pick one issue or trend that I see materializing and affecting the way death care providers serve their clientele in the next 50 years it will be the continued legality and interest in these newer methods of human disposition.

Who knows when fully implemented and legal in the United States what percentage of deaths will use these methods. . . . I don’t think, at least for the foreseeable future, either of them will top cremation as the disposition of choice.  However, I’m pretty certain that both alkaline hydrolysis and natural organic reduction will continue to have some upward movement in the numbers and percentage of people who choose those methods. . . . and as they gain popularity funeral homes will have to find a way to put them into their menu of service options.

Related—“A Sacred Event:  Why interest is growing in natural burials.”  San Antonio Express-News (TX)

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”

Fifty years ago services were almost all traditional casketed funerals with earth burials.  Then, for the next 50 years cremation choice by the consumer started building until we now have an approximate 60% cremation rate of disposition across the United States.

So, what is next?  Consumers have started adding eco-friendly options to their choice of disposition.  There are “green funerals”, natural organic reduction, and alkaline hydrolysis to choose from now.  I think we are beginning to enter the days of the “niche disposition”.

By that, even while flame cremation continues to grow percentage wise, I think that each of those eco-friendly options will also grow and at some point in time flame cremation will reach its percentage plateau and all other forms of disposition will continue to grow percentage wise, knocking some percentage off of the flame-cremation lead. . . . . When that happens, we will truly be in a “niche” disposition line of business.

The question then becomes. . . . “How will your funeral home service the different disposition methods available?”  Will you make the investment necessary to provide for an alkaline hydrolysis system and natural organic reduction system in your current business? . . . . Or, might you look to partner with others who have those dispositions already in place?

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

I recently saw this press release and investigated further to learn that Van Orsdel Funeral & Cremation Services located in southeast Florida has partnered with Florida’s Gentle Water Cremation of West Palm Beach to offer alkaline hydroysis services to clientele who may prefer that disposition method.

From my point of view, it is one way a funeral home can enter this “niche” disposition business without the investment in their own facility.  It’s not unlike the early days of flame cremation where many smaller funeral homes used trade cremation businesses until their own numbers were high enough to justifiy an investment in their own cremation equipment.

And, by directly advertising that your firm can accommodate those who wish alkaline hydrolysis or “water cremation” before others do so, you are potentially building up your expertise in the “niche” faster than your competitors.  Again, in my way of thinking, it is a great way to gauge the market and get a jump on the competition for this form of disposition without adding an alkaline hydrolysis equipment investment at the present time.

Especially with what I expect to be growing trends in alkaline hydrolysis and natural organic reduction, now might be the best time to put a plan in place on how your firm will handle these services for clientele who prefer them.

Here is the website of Van Orsdel Funerals and Cremation Services

Here is the website of Gentle Waters Cremation (Alkaline hydrolysis)

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“A servant’s attitude guided by Christ leads to a significant life”