About Renewed Roots: Building Human Composting for New York State
Renewed Roots is a New York death care company dedicated to transforming the end-of-life experience through natural organic reduction — also known as human composting. We believe our final choice can leave a lasting, positive impact on the planet, and we are building the infrastructure in New York State to make that possible.
Why Renewed Roots Exists
When Frederick’s mother passed away, human composting wasn't available to him. She was cremated — and Frederick, a lifelong environmental advocate, spent years sitting with the weight of that choice.
He had dedicated his career to sustainability. He understood the environmental cost of cremation. He knew there had to be a better way — a way to honor a life while also honoring the earth. When he discovered natural organic reduction, he found what he had been looking for.
What Natural Organic Reduction Is
Natural organic reduction transforms human remains into nutrient-rich soil through a gentle, natural process — no cremation, no embalming, no burial vault. You can use the soil to plant a tree, nourish a garden, or support a conservation project. It is, in every sense, a return to the earth.
Why New York and Why Now?
New York signed natural organic reduction into law in December 2022, and it took effect in 2023. Frederick founded Renewed Roots to build the infrastructure New Yorkers need to access it—so people have more choices than Frederick had when his mother passed away.
Experience and Credentials
Frederick Zindell spent his career working on green building and clean energy programs, applying that operational background to the regulatory and environmental infrastructure of death care. He lost his mother to skin cancer in 2008 and carried the experience of not having any environmentally aligned options for years before learning about natural organic reduction. This led him to found Renewed Roots to ensure people have this option.
Renewed Roots is currently in development. We are working to establish a natural organic reduction facility in New York State. Join our newsletter to stay informed and to document your preference for NOR as an end-of-life option.