#16 - Elizabeth Fournier (The Green Reaper)

When We Die Talks

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This week, I’m talking with Elizabeth Fournier, also known as The Green Reaper. Elizabeth runs a funeral home in Boring, Oregon and is one of the most well-known advocates for green and home-based burial in the country. She’s also the author of The Green Reaper: Memoirs of an Eco-Mortician, which tells the story of how she built a funeral home in a repurposed goat barn and started helping families return to more natural, hands-on ways of saying goodbye.

We cover everything from what’s actually involved in a green burial to lesser-known options like human composting and water cremation. Elizabeth also shares her personal relationship with death, how she came to this work through early loss, and what she believes happens when we die.

A quick note before listening: this was our second time recording the episode. We lost part of the original due to a tech glitch, and Elizabeth was gracious enough to do it all over again. Also, toward the end of this version, a client arrives unexpectedly and she needs to wrap quickly. I’ll step in during that moment to give you a heads-up.

In this episode:

What green burial really means and how it works legally
Why families are increasingly interested in natural and home burials
How Elizabeth got the nickname The Green Reaper
Her personal belief about what happens when we die
What she’d want her loved ones to know if she died tomorrow

Books Mentioned in this episode:

Elizabeth’s memoir: The Green Reaper: Memoirs of an Eco-Mortician
Her follow-up book: The Green Burial Guidebook

Connect with Elizabeth:

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