Can you feel it? That spine-tingling excitement that’s bubbling through deathcare right now is pure anticipation for the year’s first big gathering where we’ll dive deep into all things natural organic reduction (NOR): TerraCon 2025.
On February 4 and 5, more than 250 impassioned NOR enthusiasts and knowledge-seekers from all over the globe will flock to the Greater Tacoma Convention Center in Tacoma, Washington for the second annual TerraCon event. Along with an additional estimated 700+ folks joining in online, this eclectic group of funeral professionals, mortuary students, environmentalists, and legislators will together delve into pretty much every aspect of this relatively new — but rapidly growing — disposition option.
“Twelve states now have legalized with many more waiting in line,” says Micah Truman, Founder and CEO of Auburn, Washington-based Terramation provider Return Home, explaining that this year’s registration, vendors, and speakers reflect an expanding curiosity about the process. “It’s really exciting. We have senior leadership from some of the larger conglomerates coming in, senior regulators from California and Canada, and funeral directors from across America, all across Canada, and from Australia, England, Germany, Holland, and Vietnam.”
Last year’s inaugural gathering was less “convention” and more “movement.” Attendees used words like “palpable positive energy,” “incredibly insightful,” and “inspiring” to describe the experience, which included a full, diverse slate of speakers and events. This year’s jam-packed agenda promises even more, says Truman.
“We have Monsignor Schallenberg coming in from Berlin, Germany,” Truman says. “He’ll be explaining the Catholic Church’s position, which is in support of our mission and a preference over cremation. Also from Germany, we have the leading soil scientist who also has a master’s degree in forestry and a degree in forensics; he will co-present with Jean Bonhotal, head of soil science at Cornell University. We also have four family panels — an incredible group — one of which drove their loved one all the way up [to Return Home in Washington] from California.”
This unusual mix of real Terramation families, global religious authorities, scientists, legal experts, and members of the deathcare community is just one of the elements that makes Terracon so much different from a traditional industry gathering. No topic is off-limits, and there are no dumb questions. This welcoming platform has no doubt helped Truman and his team attract twice as many participants and vendors as in 2024, including a huge cohort of more than 600 students from 11 mortuary schools joining others remotely — and taking part in a fun new interactive feature.
“This year, National Guardian Life put a really cool idea forward,” Truman explains. “After each presentation, NGL will post a question about the funeral industry on the screen along with a QR code to use to answer — we’ll have seven questions over one day. Then we’ll coalesce that information into a report about what people are feeling about the future of our industry, and NGL’s Judy Olson will present the results. That will be really cool.”
Other surprises participants can look forward to this year include an NOR-themed Hot Wingspanel and an exclusive preview of a Sundance Film Festival Award-winning documentary on the topic of Terramation and featuring the Return Home team — one of three such films currently in production.
There’s still time to reserve your spot for TerraCon 2025! Limited in-person tickets are still available here through February 3, as are discounted rates at convention partner Hotel Murano, and reservations for in-person tours of the Return Home facility. Plus, virtual registration will be available through February 3. Micah Truman and the Return Homies welcome your questions, so feel free to reach out to them at info@returnhome.com.
