When I die, recompose me | Katrina Spade

Prevoditelj: Senzos Osijek Recezent: Sanda L

My name is Katrina Spade, and I grew up in a medical family

Moje ime je Katrina Spade i odrasla sam u obitelji medicinara,

where it was fairly normal to talk about death and dying at the dinner table.

gdje je bilo prilično normalno pričati o smrti i umiranju za večerom.

But I didn't go into medicine like so many of my family members.

No, za razliku od većine članova obitelji, nisam se bavila medicinom.

Instead, I went to architecture school to learn how to design.

Umjesto toga, pohađala sam školu arhitekture kako bih naučila dizajnirati.

And while I was there, I began to be curious

Dok sam bila tamo, postala sam vrlo znatiželjna

about what would happen to my physical body after I died.

o tome što će se dogoditi s mojim fizičkim tijelom nakon što umrem.

What would my nearest and dearest do with me?

Što bi moji najbliži i najdraži napravili sa mnom?

So if the existence and the fact of your own mortality

Stoga, ako vas postojanje i činjenica vlastite smrtnosti

doesn't get you down,

ne rastužuje,

the state of our current funerary practices will.

stanje naših sadašnjih pogrebnih običaja hoće.

Today, almost 50 percent of Americans choose conventional burial.

Danas, gotovo 50 posto Amerikanaca odabire tradicionalni pokop.

Conventional burial begins with embalming,

Tradicionalni pokop započinje balzamiranjem,

where funeral staff drain bodily fluid

gdje pogrebno osoblje isisava tjelesnu tekućinu

and replace it with a mixture designed to preserve the corpse

i zamjenjuje ju mješavinom koja će očuvati leš

and give it a lifelike glow.

i dati mu živahni sjaj.

Then, as you know, bodies are buried in a casket

Zatim, kao što znate, tijela se pokopavaju u lijes,

in a concrete-lined grave

u grobnici obloženoj betonom

in a cemetery.

na groblju.

All told, in US cemeteries,

Na američkim grobljima

we bury enough metal to build a Golden Gate Bridge,

pokopamo dovoljno metala za izgradnju Golden Gate Bridgea,

enough wood to build 1,800 single family homes,

dovoljno drva za izgradnju 1800 obiteljskih kuća

and enough formaldehyde-laden embalming fluid

i dovoljno tekućine za balzamiranje formaldehidom

to fill eight Olympic-size swimming pools.

da popuni 8 olimpijskih bazena.

In addition, cemeteries all over the world are reaching capacity.

Osim toga, groblja diljem svijeta dostižu svoj maksimalan kapacitet.

Turns out, it doesn't really make good business sense

Ispostavilo se da zaista nema dobrog poslovnog smisla

to sell someone a piece of land for eternity.

prodati nekome komad zemlje za vječnost.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Whose idea was that?

Čija je to ideja bila?

In some places, you can't buy a plot no matter how much money you have.

Na nekim mjestima ne možete kupiti zemljište bez obzira koliko novca imate.

As a result, cremation rates have risen fast.

Kao rezultat toga, stope kremiranja brzo su porasle.

In 1950, if you suggested your grandmother be incinerated after she died,

Da ste 1950. godine predložili da se vaša baka spali nakon smrti,

you'd probably be kicked from the family deathbed.

vjerojatno bi bili izbačeni iz obiteljske grobnice.

But today, almost half of Americans choose cremation,

Danas, gotovo polovica Amerikanaca odabire kremiranje,

citing simpler,

jednostavnije je,

cheaper

jeftinije

and more ecological as reasons.

i ekološki prihvatljivije.

I used to think that cremation was a sustainable form of disposition,

Mislila sam da je kremiranje održiv oblik raspolaganja,

but just think about it for a second.

no, razmislite o tome na trenutak.

Cremation destroys the potential we have

Kremiranje uništava potencijal koji imamo

to give back to the earth after we've died.

da vratimo zemlji nakon što smo umrli.

It uses an energy-intensive process to turn bodies into ash,

Ono koristi energetski intenzivan proces za pretvaranje tijela u pepeo

polluting the air and contributing to climate change.

i time zagađuje zrak te doprinosi klimatskim promjenama.

All told, cremations in the US

Sve u svemu, kremiranje u SAD-u

emit a staggering 600 million pounds of carbon dioxide

godišnje emitira nevjerojatnih 270 milijuna kilograma ugljičnog dioksida

into the atmosphere annually.

u atmosferu.

The truly awful truth

Doista strašna istina je

is that the very last thing that most of us will do on this earth

da će posljednja stvar koju će većina nas učiniti na ovoj Zemlji,

is poison it.

je otrovati je.

It's like we've created, accepted and death-denied our way into a status quo

To je kao da smo stvorili, prihvatili i smrću odbacili naš put u trenutno stanje

that puts as much distance between ourselves and nature

koje stavlja toliko udaljenosti između nas samih i prirode

as is humanly possible.

koliko je ljudski moguće.

Our modern funerary practices are designed to stave off

Naša suvremena pogrebna praksa osmišljena je kako bi spriječila

the natural processes that happen to a body after death.

prirodne procese koji se događaju tijelu nakon smrti.

In other words, they're meant to prevent us from decomposing.

Drugim riječima, oni za cilj imaju spriječiti naše raspadanje.

But the truth

Ali, istina je

is that nature is really, really good at death.

da je priroda zaista dobra u smrti.

We've all seen it.

Svi smo to vidjeli.

When organic material dies in nature,

Kada organski materijal umre u prirodi,

microbes and bacteria break it down into nutrient-rich soil,

mikroorganizmi i bakterije razgrađuju ga u tlo bogato hranjivim tvarima,

completing the life cycle.

dovršavajući životni ciklus.

In nature, death creates life.

U prirodi, smrt stvara život.

Back in architecture school, I was thinking about all this,

Tada u školi arhitekture, razmišljala sam o svemu ovome

and I set out on a plan to redesign death care.

i postavila sam plan redizajniranja pogrebne skrbi.

Could I create a system

Mogu li stvoriti sustav

that was beneficial to the earth

koji je koristan za Zemlju

and that used nature as a guide rather than something to be feared?

i koji koristi prirodu kao vodič, a ne nešto čega se treba bojati?

Something that was gentle to the planet?

Nešto što je blago za planet?

That planet, after all, supports our living bodies

Taj planet, naposljetku, održava naša živuća tijela

our whole lives.

kroz cijeli život.

And while I was mulling this all over

Dok sam razmišljala

over the drawing board,

i skicirala to,

the phone rang.

telefon je zazvonio.

It was my friend Kate.

Bila je to prijateljica Kate.

She was like, "Hey, have you heard about the farmers

Bila je kao, „Hej, jesi li čula za poljoprivrednike

who are composting whole cows?"

koji kompostiraju cijele krave?”

And I was like, "Mmmm."

A ja sam samo nešto kao, „Mmmm.“

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Turns out that farmers in agricultural institutions

Ispostavilo se da farmeri u poljoprivrednim institucijama

have been practicing something called livestock mortality composting

prakticiraju nešto što se zove kompostiranje mrtve stoke

for decades.

već desetljećima.

Mortality composting is where you take an animal high in nitrogen

Kompostiranje stoke je proces u kojem uzimate životinju bogatu dušikom

and cover it with co-composting materials that are high in carbon.

i prekrivate ju ko-kompostiranim materijalima bogatim ugljikom.

It's an aerobic process, so it requires oxygen,

To je aerobni proces pa zahtijeva kisik

and it requires plenty of moisture as well.

i puno vlage.

In the most basic setup, a cow is covered with a few feet of wood chips,

U osnovnoj postavi krava je prekrivena s nekoliko metara drvne biomase,

which are high in carbon,

koja je bogata ugljikom

and left outside for nature, for breezes to provide oxygen

i ostavljena je u prirodi kako bi povjetarac osigurao kisik,

and rain to provide moisture.

a kiša vlagu.

In about nine months,

Za otprilike devet mjeseci

all that remains is a nutrient-rich compost.

ostaje samo kompost bogat hranjivim tvarima.

The flesh has been decomposed entirely,

Meso je potpuno razgrađeno,

as have the bones.

kao i kosti.

I know.

Znam.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

So I would definitely call myself a decomposition nerd,

Zato bih sebe definitivno nazvala štreberom razgradnje,

but I am far, far from a scientist,

ali sam vrlo daleko od znanstvenika,

and one way you can tell this is true

vidjeli ste da je to istina,

is that I have often called the process of composting "magic."

jer često proces kompostiranja nazivam magijom.

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

So basically, all we humans need to do

Dakle, u osnovi, sve što mi ljudi trebamo učiniti

is create the right environment for nature to do its job.

je stvoriti pravo okruženje za prirodu da obavi svoj posao.

It's like the opposite of antibacterial soap.

To je kao suprotnost antibakterijskom sapunu.

Instead of fighting them,

Umjesto borbe protiv njih,

we welcome microbes and bacteria in with open arms.

dočekujemo mikrobe i bakterije raširenih ruku.

These tiny, amazing creatures

Ta sitna, nevjerojatna stvorenja

break down molecules into smaller molecules and atoms,

razgrađuju molekule u manje molekule i atome,

which are then incorporated into new molecules.

koji se zatim ugrađuju u nove molekule.

In other words, that cow is transformed.

Drugim riječima, krava je transformirana.

It's no longer a cow.

Više nije krava.

It's been cycled back into nature.

Vraćena je natrag u prirodu.

See? Magic.

Vidite? Magija.

You can probably imagine the light bulb that went off in my head

Vjerojatno možete zamisliti žarulju koja mi se upalila u glavi

after I received that phone call.

nakon što sam primila taj telefonski poziv.

I began designing a system

Počela sam dizajnirati sustav

based on the principles of livestock mortality composting

koji se temelji na principima kompostiranja mrtve stoke,

that would take human beings and transform them into soil.

koji bi primao ljudska bića i pretvarao ih u tlo.

Fast-forward five years

Unazad pet godina

and the project has grown in ways I truly never could have imagined.

projekt je narastao na načine koje nikada nisam mogla zamisliti.

We've created a scalable, replicable non-profit urban model

Izradili smo skalabilan, replicirajući neprofitni urbani model,

based on the science of livestock mortality composting

koji se temelji na znanosti o kompostiranju mrtve stoke,

that turns human beings into soil.

koja ljudska bića pretvara u tlo.

We've partnered and collaborated with experts in soil science,

Udružili smo se i surađivali smo sa stručnjacima za tlo,

decomposition, alternative death care,

raspadanje, alternativnu pogrebnu skrb,

law and architecture.

zakon i arhitekturu.

We've raised funds from foundations and individuals

Prikupljali smo sredstva od zaklada i pojedinaca,

in order to design a prototype of this system,

kako bismo dizajnirali prototip ovog sustava

and we've heard from tens of thousands of people all over the world

i kontaktirali su nas deseci tisuća ljudi širom svijeta

who want this option to be available.

koji žele da ova opcija bude dostupna.

OK.

U redu.

In the next few years,

U narednih nekoliko godina,

it's our goal to build the first full-scale human composting facility

cilj nam je izgraditi prvo kompletno postrojenje za kompostiranje ljudi

right in the city of Seattle.

u Seattleu.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

Imagine it,

Zamislite to,

part public park,

dijelom javni park,

part funeral home,

dijelom pogrebno poduzeće,

part memorial to the people we love,

dijelom spomen na ljude koje volimo,

a place where we can reconnect with the cycles of nature

mjesto gdje se možemo povezati s ciklusima prirode

and treat bodies with gentleness and respect.

i tretirati tijela s blagošću i poštovanjem.

The infrastructure is simple.

Infrastruktura je jednostavna.

Inside a vertical core,

Unutar vertikalne jezgre

bodies and wood chips undergo accelerated natural decomposition,

tijela i drvna biomasa prolaze kroz ubrzanu prirodnu razgradnju

or composting,

ili kompostiranje

and are transformed into soil.

i pretvaraju se u tlo.

When someone dies, their body is taken to a human composting facility.

Kad netko umre, njegovo se tijelo odvede u postrojenje za kompostiranje.

After wrapping the deceased in a simple shroud,

Nakon umatanja pokojnika u jednostavno platno,

friends and family carry the body to the top of the core,

prijatelji i obitelj nose tijelo na vrh jezgre,

which contains the natural decomposition system.

koja sadrži prirodni sustav razgradnje.

During a laying in ceremony,

Tijekom svečanosti polaganja,

they gently place the body into the core

nježno stavljaju tijelo u jezgru

and cover it with wood chips.

i pokrivaju ga drvnom biomasom.

This begins the gentle transformation from human to soil.

Ovo započinje nježnu transformaciju od čovjeka do tla.

Over the next few weeks, the body decomposes naturally.

Tijekom sljedećih nekoliko tjedana tijelo se prirodno razgrađuje.

Microbes and bacteria break down carbon, then protein,

Mikrobi i bakterije razgrađuju ugljik, zatim proteine,

to create a new substance,

kako bi stvorili novu tvar,

a rich, earthy soil.

bogato, zemljano tlo.

This soil can then be used to grow new life.

Ovo se tlo može koristiti za rast novoga života.

Eventually, you could be a lemon tree.

Na kraju, možete biti drvo limuna.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

Yeah, thank you.

Da, hvala.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)

Who's thinking about lemon meringue pie right now?

Tko sada razmišlja o piti od limuna?

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

A lemon drop?

O kapljici limuna?

Something stronger?

O nečem jačem?

So in addition to housing the core,

Uz zbrinjavanje u jezgri,

these buildings will function to support the grieving

ove će zgrade podržavati tugovanje

by providing space for memorial services and end-of-life planning.

dajući prostor za memorijalne usluge i planiranje kraja života.

The potential for repurposing is huge.

Mogućnost za prenamjenu je ogromna.

Old churches and industrial warehouses can be converted into places

Stare crkve i industrijska skladišta mogu se pretvoriti u mjesta

where we create soil and honor life.

gdje stvaramo tlo i odajemo počast životu.

We want to bring back the aspect of ritual

Želimo vratiti aspekt obreda

that's been diluted over the past hundred years

koji je izgubljen tijekom proteklih stotinu godina,

as cremation rates have risen

dok je stopa kremiranja porasla,

and religious affiliation has declined.

a vjerska pripadnost je smanjena.

Our Seattle facility will function as a model for these places

Naša ustanova u Seattleu će funkcionirati kao model za ova mjesta

all over the world.

diljem svijeta.

We've heard from communities in South Africa, Australia,

Kontaktirale su nas zajednice iz Južne Afrike, Australije,

the UK, Canada and beyond.

Velike Britanije, Kanade i šire.

We're creating a design toolkit

Izrađujemo priručnik za dizajn

that will help others design and build facilities

koji će pomoći drugima u dizajniranju i izgradnji objekata,

that will contain technical specifications

koji će sadržavati tehničke specifikacije

and regulatory best practices.

i najbolje regulatorne vještine.

We want to help individuals, organizations,

Želimo pomoći pojedincima, organizacijama

and down the road, municipalities

i općinama

design and build facilities in their own cities.

oko projektiranja i izgradnje objekata u njihovim gradovima.

The idea is that every one of these places should look and feel completely different

Ideja je da svako mjesto treba izgledati drugačije i davati drugačiji osjećaj

with the same system inside.

s istim sustavom iznutra.

They're really meant to be designed for the neighborhood in which they reside

Mjesta trebaju dizajnom biti prilagođena susjedstvu u kojemu se nalaze

and the community which they serve.

i zajednici kojoj služe.

The other idea is for supportive staff to be on hand

Druga ideja je da pomoćno osoblje bude na raspolaganju,

to help families with the care and preparation of loved ones' bodies.

kako bi pomoglo obiteljima pri skrbi i pripremi tijela njihovih najmilijih.

We're banishing practices that bewilder and disempower

Izbjegavamo običaje koji su zbunjujući i nelagodni

and creating a system that is beautiful and meaningful

te stvaramo sustav koji je lijep, smislen

and transparent.

i transparentan.

We believe that access to ecological death care

Vjerujemo da je pristup ekološkoj pogrebnoj skrbi

is a human right.

ljudsko pravo.

OK, so you know the old saying,

U redu, znate staru izreku,

if you can compost a cow, you can compost a human?

ako možete kompostirati kravu, možete i čovjeka?

(Laughter)

(Smijeh)

Turns out, it's true.

Ispostavlja se da je to istina.

Since 2014, we've been running a pilot project

Od 2014. vodimo pilot projekt

in the hills of North Carolina

na brežuljcima Sjeverne Karoline

with the Forensic Anthropology Department at Western Carolina University.

s Odjelom forenzičke antropologije na Sveučilištu Western Carolina.

Six donor bodies have been covered in wood chips,

Šest donorskih tijela pokriveno je drvnom biomasom,

oxygen provided by breezes,

kisikom kojega pružaju povjetarci,

microbes and bacteria doing their jobs.

mikrobima i bakterijama koje obavljaju svoj posao.

This pilot program has allowed us to demonstrate that it's possible

Ovaj pilot program nam je omogućio da pokažemo da je moguće

to harness the incredible power of natural decomposition

iskoristiti nevjerojatnu snagu prirodne razgradnje

to turn human bodies into soil,

za pretvaranje ljudskih tijela u tlo

and we're working with other universities as well.

te radimo i s drugim sveučilištima.

Soil scientists at Washington State University,

Znanstvenici za tlo na Državnom sveučilištu Washington,

the grad students, anyway,

diplomirani studenti,

are working to compost teeth with amalgam fillings

rade na kompostiranju zuba s amalgamskim punjenjem,

so that we can understand what happens to the mercury therein.

kako bismo razumjeli što se događa sa živom u njemu.

Next up, we'll be beginning experiments

Dalje, započet ćemo eksperimente

to determine what happens to chemo drugs and pharmaceuticals

kako bismo utvrdili što se događa s kemoterapijama i lijekovima

during the composting process,

tijekom procesa kompostiranja

and whether additional remediation will be needed.

i hoće li biti potrebna dodatna sanacija.

By the way,

Uostalom,

composting creates a great deal of heat,

kompostiranje stvara veliku količinu topline,

especially this particular type of composting.

osobito ovaj tip kompostiranja.

One week after we began composting our fifth donor body,

Tjedan dana nakon početka kompostiranja petog doniranog tijela,

the temperature inside that mound of wood chips

temperatura unutar tog humka drvne biomase

reached 158 degrees Fahrenheit.

dosegla je 70 stupnjeva Celzijevih.

Imagine harnessing that heat to create energy

Zamislite da iskoristite tu toplinu kako biste stvorili energiju

or comfort the grieving on a cold day.

ili ugodili tugovanje na hladan dan.

The death care revolution has begun.

Počela je revolucija pogrebne skrbi.

It's an exciting time to be alive.

Ovo je uzbudljivo vrijeme za biti živ.

Thank you.

Hvala vam.

(Applause)

(Pljesak)