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.

I have a degree in environmental engineering and have honed my skills through my corporate sustainability career in the food and footwear industries. My super power is translating technical concepts, including economics, sustainability, and culture, into simple action plans that can be implemented by anyone. I love finding sustainable solutions that bring joy as well as results.

In 2018, I launched Carbon Free Family to bring business sustainability concepts to individuals and families on their personal sustainability journeys. If you haven’t already, check out our Our Story page for the full story.

As you might imagine, I’m very passionate about sustainability and love to share my passion and learnings with others. I’ve been working toward living a more sustainable life since I was 7 years old and my parents gave me a book called 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth.

Throughout my journey, I’ve talked with lots of people about sustainability, what it means, and how we can be more mindful of our impacts. A few things stand out for me from these conversations.

1. The definition of sustainability is broad. Personal sustainability covers everything from the food we eat, our transportation choices, and the way we heat our homes to the size/type of home we choose to live in and how much/which stuff we buy.
2. Sustainability is a journey. There is no perfect. It’s not something we can check off our “to do” list. Wherever you are on your journey is the right place to move forward from. It’s helpful to look around for examples and inspirations, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution for a more sustainable life. Everyone’s path looks different.
3. There is a general sentiment that sustainability is hard work. Many people talk to me about how hard it is to go zero waste, live without a car, or eat a vegan diet. While some changes are hard, there are lots of small changes we can {relatively} easily make that, when multiplied by millions of people, will eventually add up to impactful change. I like to think about how living a more sustainable life encourages me to slow down, think about what I value most, and spend the time doing those things well.

Through my blog posts, workshops, and consulting services, I’m here to help you create your personal definition of sustainability, make progress on your journey from exactly where you are, and debunk the “sustainability is hard” myth.

Sustainability is very much meant to be an ongoing conversation, so please let me know if you have specific questions or topics you’re interested in!

Note: The banner photo was taken by the talented James Harnois. Find him at http://www.jamesharnois.com/ and @jamesharnoisphoto on Instagram.