Katrina Spade: Could our bodies help new life grow after we die?

Part 2 of the TED Radio Hour episode What Lies Beneath.

We compost plants and livestock, so why not humans? Katrina Spade says that if you want to help the planet one last time, consider composting your body.

About Katrina Spade

Katrina Spade is an inventor, designer, and death care advocate. She is the founder and CEO of Recompose, which has developed a new model of caring for death that focuses on transparency, participation, and nature. Through natural organic reduction, human remains are transformed into usable soil. Her work has been featured in The Atlantic, Wired, and The New York Times.

Spade has a Masters in Architecture from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a certificate in Sustainable Design and Building from Yestermorrow Design/Build School, and a Bachelors in Cultural Anthropology from Haverford College.

This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by James Delahoussaye and edited by Rachel Faulkner and Katie Simon. You can follow us on Twitter @TEDRadioHour and email us at TEDRadio@npr.org. [Copyright 2022 NPR]