A Natural Return: Green Burial with Willow Casket Weaver Mary Lauren Fraser

What does it mean to return to the earth?

In this episode, Jonathan speaks with willow weaver Mary Lauren Fraser about her work crafting biodegradable caskets designed to decompose naturally.

Their conversation explores the growing green burial movement, the environmental impact of traditional practices, and how reconnecting with natural cycles can reshape the way we think about death. This episode offers a thoughtful look at death as a process of return rather than preservation.

Links:

Mary Lauren Fraser: ⁠https://www.fraserbaskets.com/⁠

Green Burial Council: https://www.greenburialcouncil.org
Funerary Artisans Collective: https://www.funeraryartisanscollective.com
National Home Funeral Alliance: https://www.homefuneralalliance.org
NEDA (End-of-Life Doulas): https://www.nedalliance.org

This week’s episode was written and recorded in New York on the land of the Lenape tribes and in Massachusetts on the native lands of the ⁠Wabanaki Confederacy⁠, ⁠Pennacook⁠, ⁠Massa-adchu-es-et (Massachusett)⁠, and ⁠Pawtucket⁠ people.

This episode was written, edited, and produced by Jonathan Zautner and Dori Robinson.

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