November 2021

Page B4 NOVEMBER 2021 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on B A trusted resource of funeral supplier companies since 1976 Find a supplier or become a member at www.imsa-online.org Parting Stone Creates Hydroponic Garden in “Black Box” Temporary Cremation Containers SANTA FE,NM— Part- ing Stone has launched a project that uses hy- droponic gardening to recycle used temporary cremation containers at their company. In 2019, Parting Stone introduced a new form of remains for families choosing cremation. Their service solidifies 100 per- cent of the remains into a form that resembles 40- 60 smooth stones that can be touched and held by families. Once the so- lidification process is complete the “stones” are returned to partnered fu- neral homes in a beautiful cotton cloth bag and pine box. The original black box gets left behind at Parting Stone’s lab. With over 1500 solidifications as of August 2021, the “black box” temporary urns were piling up in their lab and becoming an issue. “We have over 1,500 black boxes that we don’t know what to do with,” explains Justin Crowe, founder and CEO of Parting Stone. “They just accumulated slowly un- til one day we realized we had a major problem. They were taking up 200 cubic feet of space in our laboratory.” The idea of sending 1,500 boxes, up to 1,000 pounds of plas- tic, to a landfill did not align with Parting Stone’s mission – the company is a registered Public Bene- fit Corporation. Sam Funk, Parting Stone’s order manag- er, discovered that the opaque plastic of black box temporary urns is perfect for hydroponic gardening, which involves growing plants without soil, using a nutrient-rich solution and water. Over the past year, Sam has performed multiple ex- periments with black box hydroponic gardening, both in the Parting Stone lab and in his home, with much success. “The black boxes are perfect for hydroponics because they are thick, dark, and opaque, so they don’t let sunlight into the water that the plants are growing in,” explained Funk. “We grew a gar- den in the Parting Stone lab and harvested lettuce, radishes, herbs, and flow- ers.” Parting Stone is a com- pany providing funeral homes and families with a remains-solidification service. Following cre- mation, their technol- ogy solidifies 100 per- cent of the remains into a new form that resem- bles a collection of 40-60 smooth stones. No more uncomfortable ash. Solid- ified remains can be held, touched, and shared, pro- viding a positive experi- ence for families choosing cremation. To learn more about Parting Stone and solidified remains visit https://partingstone.com. ONE STOP SHOPPING for new and used professional coaches and limousines Dealers and private sellers can list vehicles creating a vast database of cars for sale or lease nationwide. 4hearse.com (800) 4-HEARSE 2011 Eagle Chevy Suburban Hearse 2014 MK Lincoln Town Car Hearse 2006 Eagle Cadillac Ultimate Elite Hearse 2010 Eagle Cadillac Ultimate Hearse Lease a new Platinum Cadillac XT5 Hearse & get a FREE Funeral Caddy Memorial Carrier Buy a complete Funeral Van or Convert your own Vehicle Football Turkey