"The process utilizes a 5-foot-by-10-foot pod full of organic "tinder" such as straw and wood chips. Thermophilic or heat-loving microbes then metabolize the remains, maintaining an internal temperature of 131 degrees Fahrenheit within the vessel. The entire ritual takes one month, and produces a cubic yard of compost, according to Recompose."
uh...no BTW, I love making compost!
One of the really fun things about gardening is making that "perect" compost. The idea which is totally correct, requires much more heat and time. To remain aerobic requires more than just allowing "breezes to hit it", it requires 'turning' and watering to feed the aerobic bacteria or they will die. That's why you see $500+ garden tumblers out there.
I use a pitchfork and a garden hose. Balancing the nitrogen to types of carbon is also important. Wood chips can take a long time (months and years) to decompose. Still, I like the idea, and Back to Eden Gardening method is based on the use of woodchips PLUS adding nutrients. It gets a lot of flak for that.
Stacking and not aerating and or watering will turn the compost anaerobic, gaseous, smelly, oozy...not good. It will decompose and may be used, eventually, it's just not the flowery process she described.
Otherwise, I like the idea of returning to earth. At my aunt's funeral, her family went through an older ritual of some of the men shoveling a shovel full of dirt over the coffin. I had never done this before and glad I didn't have much time to think about it. After doing so, I was amazed at the level of comfort it brought. Sounds weird, but yes, I felt much better.
In the meantime, stay healthy! Stay aerobic! |