Not everyone wants their final chapter to involve a casket or cremation. For some, the idea of quite literally returning to the Earth just feels more meaningful.

Minnesota recently became the 11th state to make that possible, with a few more states joining the movement since. As of now, 13 states have legalized it, and here in Minnesota, the new law officially goes into effect on July 1st.

The process involves placing the body in a climate-controlled vessel along with organic materials like mulch and wood chips. Over the course of 30 to 45 days, natural microbes do the work, breaking everything down into nutrient-rich soil. It's called human composting.

Each soil transformation process produces an approximate cubic yard of soil. Choose how much soil you'd like returned and we'll send the remaining soil to a local conservation site for land restoration projects. - EarthFuneral

After everything is complete, the nutrient-rich soil can be used however feels right to you - scattered in a meaningful place or used to grow something that brings comfort.

Once the law takes effect, funeral homes in Minnesota can start offering this option, and new composting facilities can open. In the meantime, companies like Earth Funeral are already working with Minnesota families by transporting loved ones to their current out-of-state locations until local services are up and running.

I went through the steps online myself, setting the location to Rochester to get an idea of what this kind of sendoff might cost. I was actually pleasantly surprised, Earth Funeral gave an estimate just under $3,000. Of course, pricing can vary, but it's helpful to know it may be more affordable than you'd expect.

The process on earthfuneral.com includes: coordination with a local funeral home, collection from local airport, an Earth soil transformation, the soil returned to your family, 5 Impact Trees planted by One Tree Planted, and access to the Earth Family Portal.