I’m building a community-centered nonprofit rooted in the belief that healthy soil is the foundation of a healthy soul. Through ecological land stewardship, sustainable waste management, and reverent deathcare practices like natural organic reduction, we honor the sacred cycle of life and death. This work is about nurturing the earth beneath our feet and creating compassionate, regenerative spaces where life, in all its forms, can thrive. Your support will help bring this vision to life, expanding services that heal both land and spirit.

My name is Britta Baskerville, and I’ve spent the last decade working at the intersection of land stewardship, education, and regenerative systems. I hold a degree in regenerative agriculture from UC Berkeley and have hands-on experience in everything from compost production and farm education to climate-smart grant writing and soil health consulting. I’ve taught college courses on composting, supported farmers through state sustainability programs, and led community workshops on ecological land care.

After years of cultivating healthy soil for food and farming systems, I’m now expanding that work to include ecological deathcare. I believe we are in a time of deep ecological and cultural grief, and that how we care for our dead can help us remember how to care for the living and the land. My work exists at the intersection of deathcare, composting, and community healing. I am creating a branch of this project which offers grief-informed ecological deathcare services, including natural organic reduction (human composting), green burial education, and land-based ceremonies that support the return of the body to the earth in a way that honors both ancestral reverence and ecological responsibility.

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My Story: Building Common Ground

At Common Ground, I’m planting the seeds of a community-driven nonprofit dedicated to one simple but powerful truth: healthy soil sustains healthy souls. This organization is the culmination of my life’s work in composting, land stewardship, and regenerative systems - all grounded in care for both people and planet.

Common Ground will serve as a regional hub for:

• Sustainable land and waste management services

• Soil health consulting and grant support for farmers

• Educational programs in composting, soil ecology, and regenerative practices

• Practical services like compost application and soil amendment delivery

• Reverent ecological deathcare, including human composting (Natural Organic Reduction) and grief-informed education

All of this is rooted in the belief that returning to the soil, in life and in death, can be a healing act.

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Why Now?

I’ve completed professional compost training and am ready to expand Common Ground into a fully realized nonprofit. The timing is crucial: California has recently legalized Natural Organic Reduction (NOR), and I’m preparing to become certified in this emerging field. But my broader vision includes land-based healing across all life stages, from food systems to end-of-life care.

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Funding Tiers & Timeline

To launch Common Ground, I’m fundraising in phases:

Phase 1: Fast Track Certification & Admin Setup ($5–10k)

• Training in human composting (NOR)

• Business registration and nonprofit filing

• Insurance, website, mobile consultation tools

• Materials for workshops, soil demos, and grant support

Phase 2: Infrastructure & Service Expansion ($15–25k+)

• Basic composting and storage equipment

• Tools for soil delivery and field application

• Community outreach and educational materials

Phase 3: Long-Term Growth ($50k+)

• Dedicated facility for ecological deathcare and grief-informed composting

• On-site demonstration garden and learning space

• Staff, apprenticeships, and community partnerships

• Regional model for regenerative deathcare integrated with land healing

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Whether you give $5 or $5,000, your support helps birth a project grounded in reverence, ecology, and community resilience. This is about more than just compost - it’s about restoring our relationship with the earth and one another.

Thank you for believing in this work. Let’s build Common Ground together.