#134: The Life After Life of Human Composting with Return Home

Nov 11, 2025

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In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we talk with Micah Truman, founder of a Seattle-based terramation facility called Return Home, about a new approach to human composting that uses the body’s own microbes — with no added heat or forced air — to naturally return a person to soil in about nine weeks. We explore how this process differs from cremation and burial, what families experience when they participate, the alternative method’s environmental benefits, and how rethinking death care can restore a sense of connection, continuity, and compassion. The conversation spans the science of decomposition, the emotional power of returning to the earth, and the growing movement to legalize human composting across the U.S.

Key Points:

How teramation works – Bodies are placed on alfalfa, straw, and sawdust; microbes do the work with gentle airflow and no external energy; soft tissue transforms in 4–5 weeks, and bones complete the cycle by week nine.
A connected goodbye – Families can decorate vessels, add letters or flowers, and, when safe, help cover their loved one with organics — restoring personal involvement to end-of-life rituals.
Environmental and human benefits – Avoids cremation’s high energy use and toxic byproducts; no embalming chemicals; bodies can be shipped on ice without embalming.
Micah Truman, Founder and CEO of Return Home, LinkedIn
Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn

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Q3 End Credits

Greenlane, Ampion, Tigo, USBI, 247 Solar