The CeMi project has had two launches. The first was July 1^st to 3^rd, when the research team came together for our initial team meeting, splendidly hosted by the University of Groningen’s Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies. This meeting provided the CeMi team of researchers to come together literally on day one of the project and to start the two year programme of work with a strong sense of shared purpose and direction. This was underscored by project-orientation field trips to cemeteries in Groningen and Zwolle, which grounded our research plan and allowed us to discuss research plans and challenges in the context of being ‘in the field’. We were also privileged to meet with local Planners and representatives of the Chinese community in Zwolle, who had worked together to create a dedicated burial area designed to meet the principles of Feng Shui. It was also fascinating to see the way that Cemetery planners in Zwolle were looking ahead to future needs. In addition to integrating biodiversity gains to their design, they had acquired sufficient land for future expansion, and this land, bordering the current cemetery access road and currently surplus to requirements, is rented out and under crops – a field of potatoes when we visited. The Zwolle cemetery thereby exemplifies several aspects of good practice: environmental protection and enrichment; liaison with minority and majority communities for inclusive provision; and forward planning for future demand through securing land which is actively used and income-generating in the interim.