Grave digging DIY: Yes, you can. Recently a family nearby bought a coffin from us and buried on their own land. Here’s how they prepared the gravesite. For readers just joining in, we are Piedmont Pine Coffins in North Carolina, USA. We spread the news about natural burial, and we make pine box coffins with only […]
In Belize, the empty tomb
April 8, 2016
There’s an empty tomb in Belize. Many, in fact. More on that below. In traveling, death conversation opens people up. During a stay in San Ignacio, I’m talking to people about funerals and cemeteries. For new readers, we are Piedmont Pine Coffins. We enthuse about natural burial and, in NC, USA, we make pine coffins. […]
Spilt milk: a monastic lesson for activists
March 24, 2016
It was during the time I left teaching to make coffins that our Dexter cow had her first calf and began to give milk. For readers just joining, we are Piedmont Pine Coffins. We make our boxes with hand tools and take our inspiration from farmsteads and monasteries through the ages: self-sufficiency, hospitality, and a […]
We get to carry each other
March 4, 2016
A recent download of FREE coffin plans to one Ann-Marie in NC got me going on “get to.” Read on, I’ll ‘splain. For the many of you just joining (thanks!), we are Piedmont Pine Coffins, and we spread the gospel of green burial. Also, we like the kind of thing that Ann-Marie and her family just did. She bought […]
What’s the use of profit?
February 18, 2016
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again here, then maybe pipe down. I want to die (and live?) poor. But Piedmont Pine Coffins is a business, and the purpose of a business is to generate profit. What are the uses? B-corps, donations, foundations, community action, and the rest. I’ll let you read up on […]
Mid life crisis and the skulls of Mt. Athos
January 14, 2016
Mid life crisis wants metanoia. Metanoia is Greek for a “change of heart” — a transformation and conversion — and it’s a monastic specialty. For those just joining in, we are Piedmont Pine Coffins. We advocate natural burial and make pine boxes for it. We take some of our inspiration from the examples of monks and […]
