May 01 2024
Monthly Small Group Coaching
Virtual Event
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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
Q&A: Facts about my electric car
Now that I’m talking more about our electric vehicle, I’m getting lots of really great questions from friends, acquaintances, and readers… thank you! I’ve compiled some of my favorite questions in this blog, but keep them coming!
Earth Day Everyday
Last night I took to the woods. And I realized that in order to make Earth Day more than one day, more than a token holiday, we need to truly LOVE this natural world we share and so I wrote this poem. This is my commitment to make Earth Day everyday.
Natural Dyed Easter Eggs
Happy spring! Easter is fast approaching and it’s time to color Easter Eggs! This year I got really excited about making my own natural dyes from common food ingredients in my home. These dyes are less waste, low or no cost, and the perfect mix of science experiment + craft project!
Dutch Babies
Do you remember the epic amounts of local fruit I froze last summer? Now that it’s the middle of winter and I’ve realized that I’m still not very good at eating local food during the winter months, I’m pivoting my focus to creatively using all of this delicious frozen fruit. I’ve begun modifying many of our favorite recipes, including our perennial breakfast favorite dutch babies, and let me tell you that our new favorite topping is tart cherries!
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!
