After doing this show for 9+ years, I thought I’d pretty much covered it all. Buddy, the fact that this show can still surprise me is a gift.

Ed Gazvoda is the creator of Fireless Cremation, which is an alternative to the traditional, petrochemical cremation we’re probably all more familiar with. So, how is it different? Essentially, Fireless Cremation beneficially returns deceased remains to the earth via a process called alkaline hydrolysis. I’m not going to explain what that is here in this description because a) I’m going to screw it up, b) Ed goes into great detail in this episode not only about how his process is different from traditional cremation and better, but about how the traditional process works.

WARNING: THIS EPISODE IS EXTREMELY FRANK AND GRAPHIC ABOUT THE PROCESS OF DECOMPOSITION OF A HUMAN BODY THROUGH BOTH TRADITIONAL CREMATION AND ALKALINE HYDROLYSIS.

It’s one of the most fascinating (if admittedly unsettling) conversations I’ve ever had on this show. Turns out I knew nothing about the hows and whys of cremation, burial, and the alternatives. If you’ve ever been curious – hell, if you haven’t! – give this a listen and prepare to have your mind blown about the environmental impacts of crematoriums. Mine was.

You can find Ed at his Fireless Cremation website.

This episode is available on iTunes, streaming on Spotify, on podcatchers everywhere or at the Jon of All Trades homepage.

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