18. Sustainable Funerals, Sociocracy, and Balancing our Nervous Systems: Erin Young on Permaculture Herbalism

Erin Young is a mover and shaker in the realm of social permaculture and tunes in with us from Kabi Kabi country near Eumundi on the Sunshine Coast. As a certified Human Potential Coach and Sociocracy trainer, she shares insight into how she brings nature-informed frameworks and a holistic toolkit to help individuals and forward-thinking organisations balance nervous systems to establish safety and avoid distraction and dysfunction to make real traction in creating a positive impact. She speaks to living an enchanted life and ecological patterns brought into social settings to encourage a diversity of perspectives and governance hierarchies to make decisions with a "power with, rather than power over". We discuss her garden and what is growing, her favourite plant, Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon citratus) and its many functions and her healthy journey using Ayurvedic practices, intuitively going to certain plants when she needs them, and the underestimated balm of a cup of herbal tea.  Erin holds a Bachelor of Environmental Engineering and discusses how her first Permaculture Design Course in Portugal unlocked her understanding of how life works and led her on this path, whereby she now teaches Social Permaculture weekend courses alongside pioneer Robin Clayfield (who will be joining us in an interview soon!), speaks at Festivals and teaches elements of her toolkit at courses such as the Change-makers PDC on the Sunshine Coast.  Currently, she is partnered with Earth Funerals, an organisation establishing sustainable funerals and natural burial grounds around Australia. With developmental coaching, consulting and training in collaborative decision-making and governance (aka sociocracy), social permaculture, and artfully facilitating group processes, she is modelling how groups can be healthy human ecosystems and a regenerative force beyond monoculture thinking! Show Notes: Social Permaculture Weekend with Robin Clayfield Feb 11th & 12th, 2023: https://www.facebook.com/events/564776655431004 Earth Funerals: https://earthfunerals.org/restoration-burial/ Zen and the Art of Dying: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4245204/ Introductory Guide to Social Permaculture & Seasonal Goals - A living Guide: https://www.erinyoung.net/shop Connect with Erin: Website (with e-books mentioned): www.erinyoung.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/erinyoung.coaching Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinyoung___/ To learn more about The Elder Tree, visit the website ⁠here⁠ and donate to the crowdfunding campaign ⁠here⁠. You can also follow The Elder Tree on ⁠Facebook⁠ and ⁠Instagram⁠ and ⁠sign up to the newsletter⁠. Find out more about this podcast and the presenters ⁠here⁠. Get in touch with The Elder Tree at:  ⁠[email protected]⁠The intro and outro song is "⁠Sing for the Earth⁠" and was kindly donated by Chad Wilkins.  You can find Chad's music ⁠here⁠ and ⁠here⁠.