Martha Stewart May Be the Perfect Spokesperson for Natural Organic Reduction
Domestic diva Martha Stewart is known for a lot of things — impeccable style, a brief prison stint, and being the BFF of Snoop Dogg and a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, to name just a few — but we think she may have yet another role in her future: Human composing pitch person.
Martha Stewart NOT Living
In a recent appearance on the podcast 50+ & Unfiltered, the 84-year-old lifestyle icon shared that she wants to be “composted” when she dies. Stewart explained that she envisions a final resting place similar to how she currently honors her horses — wrapped in linen and interred in a deep grave on her property in Katonah, New York.
“When one of my horses dies, we dig a giant hole really deep in one of my fields — we have a pet cemetery — and the horse is wrapped in a clean white linen sheet and very carefully dropped down into this giant, lovely grave,” she said, according to People.com. “I want to go there. It’s not going to hurt anyone. It’s my property.”
Entertaining the idea
Stewart’s proposed process isn’t exactly what the profession knows as natural organic reduction (NOR), although the premise is spot-on. Professional NOR requires state approval, regulatory oversight, and licensed facilities to ensure public health and environmental safety. Composting directly on private property — even with the best intentions — is not the same as a sanctioned NOR facility, and in most jurisdictions remains legally restricted.
Stewart’s home state of New York does legally allow human composting as a disposition option. New York legalized the practice in a law signed by Governor Kathy Hochul in late 2022, with regulations to follow. However, New York has elicited some criticism from the deathcare community because it tucked NOR neatly under existing cremation laws, meaning that cemeteries were the only entities allowed to perform the process — not funeral homes or private companies. So far, no cemeteries have taken the state up on the invitation to establish a natural organic reduction service.
Coffin things and stuff
Stewart’s comment that it would be acceptable simply because it’s her property probably won’t cut it, either. Burial on private land typically still requires compliance with local and state regulations — including cemetery permits, depth requirements, and record keeping. And that’s a good thing (haha), because Martha Stewart isn’t interested at all in traditional burial.
“These coffin things and all that stuff? No way,” she noted on the podcast.
At this point, Stewart’s best bet might be to do what many other New Yorkers have done — let her loved ones transport her body to an established facility in one of the other 13 states where NOR is legal. After 8 to 12 weeks, her soil could be returned to her property and used to nurture her 27 (!) stunning vegetable and flower gardens.
