The Order of the Good Death and the Death Positive Movement

The Order of the Good Death is a nonprofit started in 2011 by Caitlin Doughty, a Los Angeles mortician. It promotes the death positive movement: the idea that it is not morbid or taboo to talk openly about death, and that doing so helps people plan, grieve and make better choices. Its stated aim is making death a part of life.

What is the Order of the Good Death?

It began as a group of funeral professionals, academics and artists. Early collaborators included Katrina Spade, who developed an urban composting approach for human remains, and designers of eco-friendly burial garments.

Over time it grew into a wider community. Sarah Chavez joined as executive director in 2014. Today the Order publishes educational resources, and its Ask a Mortician video series is a popular YouTube series. It also advocates for laws on greener death options and offers an LGBTQ End-of-Life Guide. It is a nonprofit, not a funeral provider.

What does "death positive" mean?

The Order says people who are death positive believe it is not morbid or taboo to talk openly about death. It treats open conversation about death and dying as essential to a healthy society.

It also says what the phrase does not mean. You are not expected to feel thrilled or upbeat after someone dies. The movement supports people during and after a death, including the freedom to express grief. It is also not passive acceptance. The Order calls for action on deaths that should not happen, such as those caused by violence or by a lack of access to care.

The eight tenets, in plain words

The Order lists eight beliefs behind the movement:

1. Hiding death behind closed doors harms society.
2. The culture of silence can be broken through conversation, art, innovation and scholarship.
3. Being curious about mortality is a natural part of being human.
4. Dead bodies are not dangerous, and people should be empowered to take part in the care of their own dead.
5. Death laws should respect your wishes whatever your sexual, gender, racial or religious identity.
6. Death care should do as little environmental harm as possible.
7. Family and friends should know your end-of-life wishes, backed by proper documentation.
8. Speaking up about death can change the culture.

These are the Order's own principles, not a doctrine you have to adopt. Many people take some of them and leave others, and many faiths have their own well-established ways of preparing for and talking about death.

Your rights when you arrange a funeral

A lot of death positive advice comes down to knowing your options before you are in a hurry. In the US, the FTC Funeral Rule gives you rights when you deal with a funeral home:

• You can ask for prices by phone, and you must be given a General Price List to keep.
• You can buy individual items and services rather than a package.
• A funeral home can't refuse a casket or urn you bought elsewhere, and can't charge you a fee for using it.
• The FTC says no state law requires routine embalming for every death. Direct cremation, immediate burial and refrigeration are alternatives.
• Before you pay, you must receive an itemized statement of what you chose and what it costs.

The Funeral Rule does not cover third-party sellers such as independent casket dealers, or cemeteries that have no funeral home on site. Our guides to the FTC Funeral Rule and general price lists explain how to use these rights.

The Order also publishes a Death Bill of Rights, which sets out four ideas: you can name an agent to control what happens to your remains, you are entitled to a decent burial or cremation, you can choose a legal method of disposition in your state, and you can donate your body under the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act. It describes these as rights that often rest on common law rather than clear statutes, so check the rules in your state.

Home funerals and greener options

The movement has championed families caring for their own dead. The Order's view is that home funerals are legal almost everywhere in the US, but it notes that laws vary by state and that about nine states require a funeral director to be involved in some way, at least to file the death certificate. Hospital staff and others may wrongly say it is not allowed, so look up your state's rules first. See our home funeral laws by state guide.

On the environment, the Green Burial Council describes green burial as caring for the dead with minimal environmental impact, conserving natural resources, cutting carbon emissions, protecting worker health and helping to restore or preserve habitat. Interest is growing: the NFDA's 2025 Consumer Awareness and Preferences Report found 61.4% of consumers would be interested in exploring green funeral options, up from 55.7% in 2021.

Two newer methods often come up:

• Aquamation (alkaline hydrolysis): The Cremation Association of North America reported in March 2026 that it is legal in 26 states. See aquamation states.
• Human composting (natural organic reduction): Washington authorized it in a 2019 law, and other states have followed. It is not available everywhere, so check your state. See human composting legal states.

The NFDA projected a 2025 cremation rate of 63.4% and a burial rate of 31.6%, so most families still choose conventional cremation or burial. Our green burial guide compares the options, and the tool below puts costs and impact side by side.

Death Cafes and other ways to start talking

A Death Cafe is a gathering, usually informal and run by volunteers, where strangers talk about death over tea and cake. Jon Underwood and Sue Barsky Reid developed the model, and the first Death Cafe took place in London in September 2011. The Death Cafe website reports more than 24,700 held across 100 countries. Events are non-profit, have no set agenda and are not counseling. You can read more in our Death Cafe guide.

If a group isn't for you, start at home. The Conversation Project, run by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, offers free guides to help you talk about what matters to you and to choose a health care proxy.

From conversation to paperwork

Point seven of the tenets says your wishes should be documented. In practice that means:

• Advance directive: MedlinePlus describes advance directives as legal documents that let you spell out decisions about end-of-life care ahead of time. They include a living will and a health care proxy, or durable power of attorney for health care. Rules vary by state. See advance directive vs living will.
• Funeral wishes: write down the type of service, burial or cremation, and any faith or cultural customs, and tell the people who will carry them out. Our guide on telling your family your funeral wishes helps.
• Digital accounts: list your accounts and how to reach them. See digital estate planning.

Write what you want and keep it where your family can find it. A funeral home can only follow wishes that it knows about.

Common misunderstandings

• "It's morbid." The Order's view is that curiosity about mortality is natural and that silence is what causes harm. Reflecting on death can be uncomfortable, and it's fine to go at your own pace.
• "It's against funeral homes." The movement asks for transparency and choice. You can have a traditional funeral and still be death positive.
• "It means you'll feel fine about death." It doesn't. The Order says it makes room for grief.
• "You have to do it all yourself." Doing part of the care yourself is an option, not a requirement.

What to do next

1. Choose one person and have one conversation about what you would want.
2. Name a health care agent and complete an advance directive for your state.
3. Write down your funeral wishes and share them with your family.
4. Learn what's legal and available where you live before you need it.