Death positivity is about changing the way we handle death. It is the belief that by hiding death, making it "pretty" and treating it as a taboo, we are doing great harm to our society. That laws should allow families and loved ones to be involved in after-death care, and ensure that everyone's wishes for how their body should be handled can be met. Death positivity is the belief that we can change our culture around death, advocate for green alternatives, and find our good death.

• Things to remember:
  • Dead bodies, typically, are NOT dangerous. They pose no harm to you unless they died of a highly contagious disease. As long as a body is properly kept, your health is not at risk.
  • Taking care of your dead is NOT illegal (though there are some states in the U.S. with laws regulating home after-death care and home funerals).
  • Embalming is NOT legally required, no matter what a funeral home tells you. It is only legally required when transporting a body out of state/out of the country, or any instance in which there is a relatively long time (about a week or more) between the death and the burial or cremation.
  • Embalming fluid contains mostly formaldehyde, a carcinogen, which leaks into the soil and groundwater.
  • While cremation is a good alternative to a traditional embalming and burial, it still has its not-so-green impacts, such as the release of greenhouse gasses and mercury.

What is a home funeral?

Why should we change how we bury our dead?

Why is embalming dangerous?

What is a green burial?

• Books
• Movies/Documentaries
• Podcasts