New Yorkers will soon have another eco-friendly burial option in Brooklyn: turning a body into nutrient-rich soil.
The Green-Wood Cemetery on Tuesday said it will start offering a natural decomposition service called Natural Organic Reduction (NOR). In simple terms, an unembalmed body is placed in a large, sealed vessel or container along with organic materials like clover, wood chips, straw and alfalfa. Over four to six weeks, microbes and bacteria naturally break down the remains through heat, oxygen and moisture. The plant materials mimick what happens in nature but in a much faster and in a controlled setting, officials said.
The cemetery is partnering with Meine Erde, a German company that is an international leader in ecological death care service. The cemetery will be the first in New York State and on the East Coast to offer families a way to memorialize their loved ones by returning them to the earth, officials said.
"Green-Wood continues to be a leader in cemetery operations, death education, and understanding the multifaceted role that urban green spaces play in the fight against climate change," Meera Joshi, president of The Green-Wood Cemetery said in a statement. "This new-to the-United States partnership with Meine Erde is one more important step in Green-Wood’s evolution."
Each decomposed body will result in about a cubic yard of fertile soil that will then be used to nurture plant life across the cemetery, officials said. The historic cemetery already allows for green burials, which forgoes embalming the body to let it decompose naturally.
Green-Wood expects to start offering this option in 2027 and encourages anyone interested in receiving more information to fill out an inquiry form.
