By Esta Pratt-Kielley. It’s a sunny February day as Cathie Murray walks up a trail in Fayette, Maine, snow crunching beneath her boots. She comes upon a grove of tall cathedral pines and oak trees. It’s silent except for the patters of squirrels and the wind rustling the tops of the trees. This is the […]
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The New Way to Return to Old Traditions: An Interview with Casper Creek Natural Cemetery
By Scott McAfee. Like any other industry, death care evolves and experiences shifts in how things are done over time. One of the last significant shifts occurred in the early 19th century when disease and overcrowding made it unsafe to continue churchyard burials. Since then, traditional cemetery burials have been the norm and there have […]
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Death Care Goes Green
By Sander Gusinow. On July 1, Oregon became the third state in the nation to allow a human body to be composted after death, following Washington and Colorado. The new allowance has already brought a human composting company to the state, and represents a growing trend toward sustainability in the death care industry. Distinct from […]
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Saving the Environment — and Cash — Through ‘Green’ Burials
By Lindsay Kalter. In 2017, Judy and Al Mowrer of Wooster, OH, decided they wanted to be “pushin’ up daisies” in the literal sense when they died – using their bodies to help the Earth prosper and give new life. So last year when Al died of multiple sclerosis at 74, he was wrapped in […]
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California Jews, enough with your green, grassy cemeteries
By Rob Eshman. Jewish law has a lot to say about what’s supposed to happen when you die: your lifeless body must be washed and buried quickly, with a simple headstone to mark your grave. But nowhere, in 4,000 years of Jewish law, custom or tradition does it say you need to rest eternally under […]
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A Holistic Approach to Your Cemetery’s Security
By Scott McAfee. Any responsible business owner must constantly consider the security of his or her business, compensating for any gaps, learning new threats, and creating measures to protect against those threats. While it may not be pleasant to think of things that could threaten your cemetery, it is a necessary part of running the […]
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First California-based water cremation facility opens in Escondido
By Evan Noorani. ESCONDIDO, Calif. — The first flameless cremation facility for humans in the state of California is now open in San Diego County. White Rose Aqua Cremation in Escondido offers a completely water based, eco-friendly end of life. It combines water and an alkali solution to accelerate the decomposition process – saving 90 […]
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E-Commerce and Families: A Perfect Fit
By Patti Martin Bartsche. Even before COVID-19 upended our daily routines, there was little question that everything we do has increasingly been moving online. From the way we network to the way we get our news, online is the place to be – and shopping is no exception. Consider for a moment these facts: • […]
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Cemetery Management Software: The Future of Cemetery Technology
By Scott McAfee. Imagine the process of your day: waking up to an alarm on your smartphone, working at a computer at your desk, watching Netflix at night, etc. If you’re like most people, you use technology all day, every day, in one form or another. Technological advancements are practically inescapable, and they are constantly […]
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Cremation: A Brief History
By Melissa Petruzzi. The topic of cremation as a form of disposition yields a number of different responses. Many people still tend to think of an in-ground burial as the only burial method, but there are other types of burials. Cremation is currently the most popular form of disposition in America, and it has been […]
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