– I came across a very special article concerning
environmentalism within the funeral industry. I googled the
author and found that he was the owner of a local funeral
home that specializes in sustainable cremation. His name is
Jeff Jorgenson and he is a member of something called The
Order of the Good Death.
The Order of the Good Death is an organization of
morticians, historians, librarians, curators, caretakers, artists,
funeral directors, philosophers, writers, musicians, performers,
and more, dedicated to helping humanity heal its paralyzing
fear of death. Their website mission statement includes quotes
from Edward Abbey and Susun Weed, both radical
environmentalists. For hours I read from one article to the
next, scouring their blog for more information. This is what
had been missing from my life - philosophy and natural
sciences as one, working together to dismantle topics that are
unjustly taboo.
The Order was founded by a young woman named Caitlin
Doughty who runs a video series online called ‘Ask A
Mortician’ and published a book earlier this year which
became a New York Time’s Best Seller. The first video I
watched of hers was an informational welcoming to The Order