Sustainable burial care for the Mid Hudson Valley

Hello! My name is Elizabeth Gross. I am an herbalist, end of life doula, in-training hospice volunteer, yoga and meditation instructor, and bodyworker living and practicing in Ulster County, NY. I am raising funds to attend a private apprenticeship with Karen Collins and Amy Neville of Naturally Useful in Scotland, to learn how to weave coffins out of willow and make botanically dyed and block printed shrouds out of felted wool this Fall. This will be in service to communities within the Mid Hudson Valley and surrounding regions who wish to use natural burial containers in their end of life care.

I believe that end of life care is multifaceted, and how we return our bodies back to the earth is an essential piece of that care which often is overlooked and rushed. By learning these ancestrally rooted skills to my own lineage and working with materials which grow locally to where I live, I will be able to provide this unique skill to those in our community who desire conscious participation with their own end of life transition.

I also believe that if we are working to live our lives rooted in sustainability and recognition of the earth's limited resources, that we ought to be able to choose ways to die that are also rooted in that same awareness and sensitivity to our ability to return, dust to dust, back from where we came.

These funds will be used to entirely fund my studies, including:

Airfare: $850 round trip

Course Fee + Materials: $2750

Accommodation: $750

Food: $1000

Basic bills to cover while away: $500

GoFundMe Processing Fees: $150

Total: $6000

By attending this apprenticeship, I will be able to weave my own passions for handcrafting with natural materials, meditative practice, end of life care, and land stewardship as a means to serve our community in the growing awareness of natural burial options.

I will also be able to utilize my end of life doula skills while working actively with community members on the creation of their own burial container. As we come together to walk the natural spaces that they have loved so deeply in their lives, I will weave pieces of those landscapes and stories into their coffins, or use botanical prints to imprint pieces of those landscapes and stories into their shroud using the skills I learn during this apprenticeship.

I will also weave and imprint medicinal herbs into these containers while working with the principles of thanabotany (end of life care using plants) to support transition, by working with herbs traditionally used for experiences related to the end of life transition such as pain relief and dream, sleep, and grief support.

This all will be in greater service to my hopes to establish natural burial grounds in Ulster County, NY, so that there can be more spaces for individuals to be buried naturally in our local region.

As a single woman trying to make basic ends meet on a daily basis, I can not make this trip happen on my own. If I do not reach my fundraising goal within the next two months, I won't be able to attend this apprenticeship. That is why I need your help as my community member to make this dream become a reality.

If you have any funds to spare, I would be honored to have your support through your donation to this fundraiser. Please donate, no matter how small, as your financial contribution in any amount is most welcome and provides support to make this apprenticeship happen. Another way to support my work is to share this GoFundMe with anyone you think may be interested in supporting this cause.

I will provide updates, photographs and reflections on my time in Scotland through a special blog which will be made available to anyone who donates to this GoFundMe. In following my experiences, you’ll be able to further your awareness of how your donations are being used and the importance of your participation in making this apprenticeship, and everything that comes from it, possible.

I truly appreciate any support you can provide in my fundraising efforts.

With boundless gratitude,

Elizabeth