Apr 24 2024
Monthly Small Group Coaching
Virtual Event
We're on a mission to find joy in a more sustainable life.
This is our journey as we recommit to a simple life with more time to play, less stuff to clean, and less waste to manage.
We celebrate our biggest triumphs, learn from utter failures, and share everything in between. We welcome you to do the same!
RECENT BLOG POSTS
Canned Tomatoes
Last year I turned about 30 pounds of fresh Roma tomatoes from my farmers market into 17 quarts of canned tomatoes for year round cooking. Tomatoes are such a favorite for me that I’m devoting several blogs to my best strategies to bottle this summer goodness […]
It’s canning season!
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It’s canning season! My backyard garden is starting to overflow with vegetables and I’m starting to see bushels of tomatoes and cucumbers at my farmers market. It’s the most wonderful time of the year! This blog is part of a series about preserving food so you can eat […]
Homemade Mayonnaise
We’ve been on again, off again with making our own mayonnaise over the years. It’s not that hard, but buying mayo from the store seems so much easier… thats my habit talking, right? I am not in the habit of making my own mayo so it seems easier to buy […]
Corn Pudding Tart
It’s sweet corn season!!! Can you believe it? Have you visited your local farmers market or roadside stand to pick up a few dozen ears yet? Apologies to my non-Michigan friends, but Michigan sweet corn is so delicious, that when it comes to market… it’s an event worth celebrating! If […]
GETTING STARTED
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).
UPCOMING EVENTS
No event found!
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Carbon Free Family’s Kickstart Your Sustainability Journey workshop was transformative. Erin’s breadth of knowledge on sustainable practices is vast, but her true talent lies in her unique ability to flip your mindset and show you what is actually possible, what can indeed work in your life.
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Erin is the voice of The Carbon Free Family - a family that "walks the walk" along the path we all must take, if we want to continue to enjoy life on Planet Earth. Her presentation is non-judgemental, thought-provoking and, most importantly, FUN! So, no matter where you might be on that path, you're sure to learn something from Erin. Her enthusiasm is infectious and you will come away realizing that the walk is not about sacrifice, it's about joy!
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Our Unitarian Universalist church engaged Erin as our guest speaker for our Earth Day service. Erin was really easy to work with and graciously practiced with us prior to the service as we were still learning how to conduct a virtual service during a global pandemic. This was one our best attended virtual services to date. Erin stayed after the service to join our coffee hour and answer questions. The service was so inspiring that our congregation has started a small sustainability group that is meeting monthly. What a great success!
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Erin's presentation was very approachable for those new to sustainability. She focuses on the joy you can find in this lifestyle and explains that being sustainable doesn't have to be expensive, which can keep many people from exploring this lifestyle. She also talked about how lessening your carbon footprint is a journey and that no matter where you are in that journey, it is important to be transparent and learn from others. Fostering such encouragement in a sustainable community is really inspiring!
