Title: Founder
Company: Final Footprint
Location: El Granada, CA United States

Following a passion for the environment and the funeral industry, Jane Hillhouse founded Final Footprint, which is dedicated to helping its clients with end of life decisions and making a “green” choice in caskets or coffins. Originally called Colorful Coffins, the business started by supplying biodegradable caskets, urns and ash containers to families in need. Through outreach at conferences, festivals, and media interviews, Ms. Hillhouse has gotten the word about the green burial process to the community at large. She eventually evolved her company into what it is today, Final Footprint, where she assists people with their end-of-life decisions and provides a line of coffins made out of willow, bamboo, banana, and seagrass.

Ms. Hillhouse has been working toward making the funeral industry greener since returning to the United States from England in 1998. The biggest challenge she faced was settling down and finding a niche for herself, but she eventually found her calling. Although the funeral industry is a hard industry to get a foot into, Ms. Hillhouse was determined to make her mark and give families a serene, final ending while also saving the Earth. She is very passionate about this endeavor, and her tenacious, creative and honorable nature served her well in the development of her business.

To stay on top of her field, Ms. Hillhouse maintains affiliation with the Funeral Consumers Alliance, Green America, KQED, the Green Burial Council and the National Home Funeral Alliance. She also participates as a presenter at the Green Festival, which she considers to be among her greatest accomplishments. Looking to the future, Ms. Hillhouse hopes to soon apply for grants and find partner whose passion for the industry matches her own. When she is not working, she enjoys sailing, gardening, walking, classical music and DIY projects.

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