For this inaugural post on upcycling initiatives, on this “day of the dead,” I begin with the end: our mortality. Not for morbidity, but to contemplate the profound interplay between life and death, and to reexamine our cultural rituals surrounding the “waste” produced at the end of life—our human bodies. The journey of life culminates in the embrace of death, a passage that often leaves us yearning for a connection with the departed. A theme that has captivated poets and thinkers for centuries, including Baudelaire, who dedicated a chapter to “death” in his iconic collection “Les Fleurs du Mal.” Today, modern alchemists craft new ways to honor this transition: 🌳 Loop Biotech, a pioneering startup, offers a poetic return to nature. Their compostable coffins provide a unique farewell by becoming part of the Earth’s regenerative cycle. In this embrace, the departed embark on a journey to merge with the earth, nurturing new life and sustaining the growth of trees. 💎 EverDear and Eterneva in the USA, and LONITE AG and Algordanza in Switzerland are modern alchemists who have achieved what Baudelaire could only dream of. They transform cremation ashes into diamonds. These precious gemstones, born from the remains of our loved ones (humans and animals), offer a tangible connection to those who have departed. These upcycling initiatives invite us to transcend the boundaries of life and death, honoring the past while embracing the future. In the spirit of “Les Fleurs du Mal,” let us seek the “beauty of the infinite,” where life and death are but threads in the grand tapestry of the human experience. ➡️ Follow this page for more inspiration of poets who turn mud into gold around the world.