SHARE: When New York passed the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act in 2019, aiming to eliminate net carbon emissions by 2050, the state was lauded as a national leader on climate change. But sustainability has many facets, including how we handle our dead, and New York could once again be a nationwide leader on environmental issues if it becomes one of the first states to legalize human composting for “green burials.” A bill in the state Legislature sponsored by Assembly Member Amy Paulin of Westchester and state Sen. Leroy Comrie of Queens, both Democrats, would legalize a process by which human remains would go through “natural organic reduction.” The process takes about four weeks from start to finish and essentially just speeds up the natural decomposition process. The body is placed in a special chamber along with wood chips, alfalfa and other materials, and for 30 days the chamber rotates to encourage decomposition. By the end, what you’re left with is basically dirt – human compost. “It's not that different from burying underground,” Paulin said. “It's a decomposed human body.”