I’ve been talking a LOT about local food lately. It’s summer and when the weather gets warm I quickly become obsessed with my garden (where I grow herbs, vegetables, and fruit), the farmers market, UPick, local roadside stands, foraging in the woods, and buying in bulk to can and freeze […]
Recent Posts
Plastic Free July and Homemade Yellow Mustard
Happy July! I can still say that, right? Have you heard of “Plastic Free July”? I figure since the month is almost half way over, I should really start talking about it! Plastic Free July is a global movement encouraging everyone to refuse single use plastic for one month. […]
Sugar Snap Pea Salad
Since the spring vegetables are ripening in our garden one at a time, I’ve been able to obsessively focus on finding recipes to highlight the perfectly ripe and exciting because they’re finally ready to eat veggies. For a couple of weeks now the object of my obsession has been sugar […]
Chives Galore!
I’ve had chives in my herb garden for as long as I can remember, but I’ve never figured out how to incorporate them into my cooking. This spring, since I’m unemployed, the newly appointed head chef, and trying to minimize trips to the grocery store (for both financial and COVID […]
My Shampoo Journey
We’ve been on a journey to find a more sustainable solution for shampoo and conditioner for a while now and I think we’ve finally found a permanent solution that all members of the family can live with! I fully believe in progress not perfection. I believe that absolute zero waste […]
Homemade Ranch Dressing
If you’re on a mission to reduce your single use plastic and you’ve got even a fraction of space for an herb garden… you should drop everything and start making your own ranch dressing… immediately! The herbs in this recipe are so easy to grow! Thyme is a perennial herb […]
Introduction to Carbon Free Family
Hi! I’m Erin Augustine and welcome to Carbon Free Family — a blog where I’ll share tips and stories about my sustainability progress, failures, and philosophy.
I hope to help you define what sustainability means for you and your family, achieve progress on your journey from exactly where you are, and debunk the “sustainability is hard” myth.
How Do You Measure and Define Sustainability?
Let’s start with further defining sustainability.
The traditional business definition is the triple bottom line – people, planet, profit – and any good business needs to deliver on all three. I believe these same three values apply to personal life and I apply them in the following ways.
Getting Started on Your Journey
At least once a year (usually in January, but it can be anytime) I like to take a few moments to reflect on life and my progress on my sustainability journey. I think there’s huge value in reviewing my actions to make sure they’re a good reflection of my core beliefs and that I’m living the life of my dreams (or at least actively striving for it).