At Recompose in Seattle, families can hold a funeral ceremony known as a laying-in before the body is prepared for human composting. In this photo, a demonstration mannequin stands in for the body. Afterwards, the body is moved into a composting vessel in the adjacent building and surrounded with wood chips, alfalfa, and straw to start the 30-40 day process. (April Dembosky/KQED)
When Dennis Cunningham was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he wanted his death to reflect the values he lived by. As a civil rights lawyer, Cunningham defended the Black Panthers, AIDS protestors, and later, environmental activists from Earth First.
"He was a profound environmentalist," his son, Joe Mellis, said.
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