Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), also known as human composting, soil transformation, and Terramation, is a process that harnesses modern technology to expedite the human body’s natural process of decomposition. 

Like all organic beings, human bodies naturally decompose after death unless they are cremated or embalmed.  While this can normally take a long time, during NOR, decomposition takes as little as 1-2 months. The process entails placing a deceased human body in a specially designed capsule along with wood chips, straw, alfalfa, and other readily available biodegradable materials, allowing microbes found in the body and plants to carry out the natural decomposition process.  

The capsule is insulated so it naturally remains in a specific temperature range and it is given a steady supply of oxygen to create an ideal environment.  The end result is a nutrient-rich compost which can be used by loved ones to grow new plants, donated to nature preserves or conservation efforts, or however they see fit

Families around the country who have chosen NOR have found it to be a profound and meaningful experience, where the natural process of death can be allowed to do what it has always done: cultivate new life.  

While modern burial practices have tended to favor in-ground burial and cremation, allowing the body to decompose naturally has been common around the world for thousands of years, long before the more modern embalming process gained favor in the 19th Century. In more recent years, cultural concerns like sustainability and environmentally friendly burial have led to a resurgence in interest in direct composting of human mortalities.  

NOR is far more environmentally friendly than either cremation or embalming, producing significantly less carbon emissions and using no harmful chemicals.  At a time when climate change is an ever-growing concern, many people support the possibility of our last act helping to nourish the planet.  NOR is currently legal in fourteen states, with legislation introduced in fourteen more.  It’s clear that many people around the country want this option, and our goal is to give Michiganders that choice for themselves and their families.