Hollywood Star Wants to Become Compost After Death, Not Ashes or a Grave

Ms. Kim Novak, a popular actress of Hollywood’s golden age, wants her body turned into compost after she dies. She does not want a usual cremation or burial. Trees will be planted with the compost so that she can keep growing through nature. The 93 year old actress shared this unusual plan for her final journey.

Ms. Novak said she made the plans for her body a few years ago. She wants trees to be planted with the compost made from her body. The idea of living again through trees inspired her decision. She said trees have a kind of patience that she did not always have in herself. So she wants to know herself in a new way through the growth of trees. To her, it is a chance to witness the many forms of life even after death.

Ms. Novak does not find the idea of becoming compost strange or funny at all. Instead, joining with nature gives her peace. She believes the compost from her body will help trees grow. In this way, her presence will stay part of nature after death.

To carry out this plan, she has made an arrangement with a company called Earth Funeral in Washington state, USA. There is also a plan for how her body will be processed after her death. She has asked her friends and family to plant a tree or a shrub as well. But she likes planting trees more, because she wants the idea of her growing to never stop, even after death.

Ms. Novak was one of the most popular box office stars from 1958 to 1960. In 1966, she stepped away from acting in Hollywood and focused on her personal life. Later, she chose painting as a way to share her thoughts. She wants to show her own identity beyond her film career. Her wish to live on in trees as compost is part of that same thought.