TIMES Reports on Washington State Bill 5001
In 2019, we received a crucial alert. Washington state enacted Bill 5001, known as “Concerning human remains,” which permits what is referred to as “natural organic reduction” of human remains. This process is not about something innocuous like gelatin, which is produced from various animal parts the typical American diet often overlooks. Instead, it involves the disturbing practice of reducing human remains to powder, sludge, and compost intended for use in the food supply—something that is happening without many people being aware. This raises significant concerns about the threshold of acceptable practices regarding our treatment of human remains.
Process of Alkaline Hydrolysis Using Human Remains
Alkaline hydrolysis uses water, alkaline chemicals, heat, and sometimes pressure and agitation, to accelerate human remains natural decomposition, leaving bone fragments and a neutral liquid called effluent. The decomposition that occurs in alkaline hydrolysis is the same as that which occurs during burial, just sped up dramatically by the chemicals.
Soylent Green Movie
Soylent Green is a 1973 American dystopian thriller directed by Richard Fleischer, featuring Charlton Heston, Leigh Taylor-Young, and Edward G. Robinson in his final performance. The Soylent Green narrative revolves around a murder investigation set in a grim future marked by polluted oceans and constant humidity due to the greenhouse effect, leading to widespread environmental degradation, resource scarcity, poverty, and overpopulation.
TIME: Earthly Bodies: Washington Becomes First State to Legalize Human Composting
