In late September we learned that The Natural Funeral of Lafayette, Colorado, was launching a program in which existing funeral homes can purchase what the company calls “Chrysalis” vessels for use at their own funeral homes or other facilities.  The “Chrysalis” vessels are used for the human disposition process of Natural Organic Reduction (NOR) that has now been legalized in several states.

The “Chrysalis” vessels are, at this point in time, intended to be available to those funeral homes in states whose laws allow such dispositions.

The Natural Funeral calls their NOR process “terramation” and, according to CEO Mike Reagan are “extending the reach of terramation services” to other areas of the country.  Here’s what Reagan said in prepared statements from a recent press release, “By introducing the TerraCare Partner Program™, we are not only expanding the reach of terramation services but also enhancing the capacity of funeral service providers to meet a critical and growing demand for sustainable end-of-life options.  This program is a testament to our commitment to innovation and leadership in the funeral industry, ensuring that our partners can offer services that truly reflect the ecological values of the communities they serve.”

You can learn more about this partner program by clicking here to get to The Natural Funeral website.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  I recently read an article that mentioned that Natural Organic Reduction is now legal in 12 states.  The same article said, however, that the process is only being done in Colorado and Washington because those are the only states with licensed facilities at this time.

I also think it is important to know, that according to this information from Dignity Memorial, which is a Service Corporation  International (SCI) company, that they mention 13 more states where legislation is being “considered”.  Adding those 13 states would make NOR legal in a full one-half of all states in the United States.

I’ve been somewhat taken aback by how this momentum for NOR seems to be growing.  And, while it is certainly too early to proclaim the process the next big thing in Death Care, there does seem to be a lot of interest by the consumer public in the process.

I’m reminded of “early adopters”.  That’s those people who are willing to jump on an idea before the idea becomes mainstream.  I’ve lived my lifetime in a period where it was first desktop computers that people were wary about, and then the internet, and finally, cell phones. . . . . .. All of those products had “early adopters” of the product and business people who believed in the process before they became mainstream.

And then, on the other side of the equation, there are those products that looked like they were headed for great success and for some reason, were overhyped and fizzled. . . . .Think about Napster, Google Glass, and Betamax.  Here’s an article from Time that I found about those failures.

So, at this point in time, you are probably on one side or the other of the Natural Organic Reduction movement.  It will be interesting to see where it goes from here.  Will it have “staying power” like flame cremation had when it was introduced to America in the 1950’s-1960’s or will NOR be hyped and then go away?

I think there are a lot of smart people betting that it is here to stay.

More news from the World of Death Care:

Enter your e-mail below to join the 3,143 others who receive Funeral Director Daily articles daily:

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