Cremation Association of North America

11/07/2025

“Baby boomers changed wedding traditions in the 1970s, now that they are planning their parents’ funerals, they are changing those too,” says Woodthorpe. That generation, she says, is more confident and practiced at getting their way. “Twenty years ago, you’d be told ‘here is your slot for the funeral’. Now families are willing to push back and say it doesn’t suit us.” [UK]

Our approach to death and funerals is becoming simpler and more modern – the sector needs to follow suit

11/06/2025

Registration is now open for the year's first cremation-focused event!
Explore today's trends to reflect on current challenges, generate new ideas, and discover future opportunities at CANA's 2026 Cremation Symposium at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on February 25-27!
Register: https://site.pheedloop.com/event/future/home/

11/06/2025

“Do you see a lot of interest in green burials?” I asked the friendly town cemetery commissioner who was showing me around.
“I don’t think we’ve had a traditional burial in two years,” he said. “It’s all green.”

We spoke to KFF Health News reporter Paula Span and Montgomery County mortician Lily Buerkle to get the basics of green burials and why they're on the rise in the region.

11/05/2025

Our history continues to 1876 with the story of first modern cremation in North America on a cold December morning.
Read on as The Cremation Historian Jason Engler takes us back so we can mark cremation's 150th anniversary in 2026!
Read on:

It was a cold and wet day when the cremation movement made its grand entrance in the US in December 1876 when Henry Steel Olcott convinced Dr. LeMoyne to use the facility for the cremation of Baron de Palm.

11/04/2025

Congratulations to Darren Crouch, co-founder of CANA Member Passages International, Inc. - Green Funeral Products, for being named to the TIME100 Climate list—a prestigious recognition of global leaders driving climate action and innovation!

Find out why Darren Crouch is on TIME's 2025 list of the 100 most influential leaders driving business climate action.

11/03/2025

“Cremation also had to come a long way before it became the 'second way' to say goodbye to a loved one, in addition to burial,” she said. “Now there's a new form, and we absolutely want to give it the opportunity to develop into a ‘third way’." [BELGIUM]

The process mimicks the process of natural decomposition by using water, heat and pressure to break down tissue.

10/31/2025

🎃 Don’t let this deadline haunt you! 👻
The Scholarship Deadline is Saturday, November 1.
Make sure your application is submitted before the clock strikes midnight!
Apply now and secure your chance for funding from CANA and the Funeral Service Foundation.
Apply now:

The CANA/Jack Springer Academic Scholarship awards $2,500 in the Spring and Fall to a student studying mortuary science or funeral service with a focus on cremation.

10/30/2025

“When I first started, cremation was about seven percent of services. Last year, it was 37 percent,” he said. “But cremation doesn’t have to mean less celebration. Families can still have viewings, memorials, or life celebrations with music, food and tributes; the only difference is what happens afterward.”

In Black communities, funerals have long been more than ceremonies. They are declarations of faith and communal strength.

10/29/2025

As alkaline hydrolysis becomes more common in pet aftercare, you need certification to match! CANA and IAOPCC are proud to announce the Certified Pet Alkaline Hydrolysis Operator program, available online and on-demand covering major topic areas including an overview of the pet alkaline hydrolysis process, equipment and operations, the cremation process in detail, and standards and ethics.
Learn more and register: https://www.cremationassociation.org/petcremation.html

Building the Future of Pet Aftercare!

The IAOPCC, in partnership with CANA (Cremation Association of North America), is proud to bring another historic development initiative to our profession: the launch of the Certified Pet Alkaline Hydrolysis Operator (CPAO) Program.

This first-of-its-kind certification advances education in Pet Water Cremation and strengthens professional standards across our global community.

At our San Antonio Conference, 30 operators were certified, receiving their credentials and digital badge certification as part of this historic milestone.

The program, created through our IAOPCC + CANA collaboration, covers:
🌱 Alkaline Hydrolysis process in detail
⚙️ Equipment & operations
📋 Chain of custody
⚖️ Reducing legal risk
🌎 Environmental impact

📢 Online registration is now open! IAOPCC continues to lead initiatives that equip pet aftercare professionals with the tools, knowledge, and recognition they need to grow and succeed.

Learn more ➡️ https://conta.cc/4nZbxhh
Press Release https://conta.cc/4pTs8oR

10/28/2025

A packed house today in Albany for the Crematory Operators Certification Program (CANA COCP) with the New York State Association of Cemeteries! Many thanks to everyone joining us today for this valuable training and experience, including the NYS Dept of Cemeteries and, of course, faculty Larry Stuart and Wendy Wiener.

10/27/2025

"In the gravestone inscriptions, she finds clues about how death was perceived through the generations. The poetry of the 1600s and 1700s was warning people that death is to come. The Victorian era embraced angels and the afterlife.
"But many modern epitaphs are a tribute to how the deceased lived and who they were."

Photographer Jane Hopkins has visited hundreds of cemeteries, where she relishes the landscapes, the serenity, and the history.

10/24/2025

“Death is hard enough. If you can get your person what they want, there is a certain pride that goes along with that — that you did right by your person,” Buerkle said.
Maryland:

Two entrepreneurs are taking advantage of a new law and plan to offer water cremation in Montgomery County.