PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • May 30, 2023
Upon his death, Steve Weems wants his family to compost his remains and use them to feed his mother’s memorial tree, a beautiful fern-leaf beech that grows in the backyard of their Brunswick home. Weems is among those hoping that changes soon as state lawmakers consider a bill to legalize body composting, or natural organic reduction. Mainers who want to be composted at the end of their lives cite the environmental and spiritual advantage of natural organic reduction over burial or cremation. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services said natural organic reduction poses no threat to the environment or public health, so long as it’s done right. Religious organizations have fought against the concept.