Gail Rubin, CT, pioneering death educator, funeral expert and Celebrant.
Two pioneers in death education, Gail Rubin, CT, and EternityGardens.com, a funeral industry technology platform, have teamed up to help people talk about and plan ahead for end-of-life issues. EternityGardens.com is the first national sponsor of the Before I Die ABQ Festival, taking place in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe metro markets October 30 to November 4, 2018.
Chicago-based EternityGardens.com provides a website that connects individuals and families looking to lay to rest the cremated remains of loved ones. The site lists cemeteries and scattering services that include aerial scattering as well as burial and scattering at sea. Visitors to the site may choose from more than 40 search criteria that identify options for Veterans, for family pets, and for those who seek an eco-friendly approach.
Gail Rubin, Certified Thanatologist with A Good Goodbye, annually attracts thousands of baby boomers and younger people to learn about end-of-life issues. Her presentations incorporate humor and film clips to break down resistance to planning ahead. She pioneered the Death Cafe movement in the United States and held the first Before I Die festival west of the Mississippi.
“While 100% of us will die, less than 30% of all adults do any end-of-life planning: wills or trusts, advance medical directives and pre-need funeral planning,” said Rubin. “Once we get the conversation started, it’s much easier to take the next steps. It’s especially important to do this BEFORE a loved one gets seriously ill or dies.”
“So many people say, if I die, when the reality for all of us is when I die,” said Darrell Hill, Founder+CEO of EternityGardens.com. “It’s so important to help consumers understand their options and navigate choices while death still seems a distant possibility.”
EternityGardens.com was created in response to the rapidly-growing choice of cremation as an end-of-life option for Americans. The national U.S. cremation rate exceeded 50% for the first time in 2016. The company’s mission is to create the most comprehensive and complete online listing of service providers and cremation gardens throughout North America.
Rubin will introduce EternityGardens.com to her audiences at presentations in New Mexico and nationwide throughout the year, as well as at the Before I Die ABQ Festival.
The first Before I Die ABQ Festival in 2017 attracted 600 participants to 22 events over six days. The second Before I Die ABQ Festival will bring together even more educational and entertaining elements such as field trips, movies, parties, panel discussions, and Death Café conversations at multiple venues in the greater Albuquerque/Santa Fe metro areas.
All participants in the 2018 festival can enter a drawing for two full-body burial plots at La Puerta Natural Burial Ground, New Mexico’s first Green Burial Council-certified cemetery, and other prizes. Find more information about the Festival online at www.BeforeIDieNM.com.
