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SECOND THURSDAYS, 6:30–7:30 P.M., online via Zoom
Looking for practical ways to reduce your impact on the environment? Saint Mark’s Creation Care Ministry is hosting Climate Conversations about everyday things in our lives. These monthly conversations will be held on environmentally-friendly Zoom on the second Thursday evening of each month.
Register to participate using this link (same Zoom link each month).
Scroll down on this page to find materials, slides, and videos of past conversations in this series.
UPCOMING CONVERSATIONS
JUNE 12, 2025
JULY 10, 2025
PAST CONVERSATIONS
MAY 8, 2025 - Planes, Trains and Automobiles–How to Reduce Your Transport Climate Impact
Join Saint Mark's Creation Care Ministry on Zoom for a discussion about how to reduce your climate impact from transportation such as cars, planes, trains and more. With warm weather ahead and summer holidays coming up, planning for more plane trips and driving is par for the course. Transport has some of the biggest impacts on climate, though, so thinking differently can have a positive impact. We’ll discuss innovative ideas for vacations, less impactful options for transportation when you travel or commute, and how to reduce your usage of your car in your everyday life.
The slides from this presentation can be downloaded here. A video will be posted here when it is available.
APRIL 10, 2025: Planting Seeds for Earth Day
April is the month when we celebrate Earth Day, and it’s often the start of the planting season. We’ll start with a discussion of the origins of Earth Day, ideas for celebrating Earth Day differently, and opportunities for a refreshed Earth Day in our community. Since some of the frequent actions for Earth Day are planting, we’ll move on to discuss planting. While it can seem difficult to plant when you live in the middle of the city, especially if you have a small garden or no garden at all, it is possible to do lots with crops, flowers, and trees wherever you live. We’ll discuss how and where to plant, good ways to have small gardens and even how to support farmers, whether you live in a house or an apartment.
The slides prepared for this conversation can be seen here. This conversation was not recorded.
There was no Climate Conversation in March, 2025.
FEBRUARY 13, 2025: How to Stay Warm, Use Less Energy and Save Money
Home energy usage has some of the biggest negative effects on the environment. In the middle of a dark winter, though, it can seem hard to turn the temperature lower or to turn fewer lights on in your home. We’ll discuss easy ways that you can reduce your energy usage at home while still staying comfy, and how those changes can reduce climate change while also saving you money.
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A complete video in now available:
JANUARY 9, 2025: Lead by Example to Reduce Climate Change
It’s great to take action to reduce climate change in your daily life. To have more of an impact more broadly, be an example of impactful change and let people know what you’re doing. We’ll discuss what researchers have learned about the impact of discussing climate change and creation care with friends and family, how telling people what you do can change their behaviors, and how to have friendly conversations even with climate change sceptics.
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A complete video is now available:
DECEMBER 12, 2024: Reduce Plastic to avoid Gigatons of Carbon Emissions
Plastic is pervasive in our lives. Buying groceries in plastic bags or containers, gadgets and care parts made of plastic, plastic furniture and materials made of plastic and plastic bottles are just a few of the many places we see plastic. Reducing plastic production and usage could avoid 166 million metric tons of plastic by 2050 and avoid more than 5 gigatons of carbon dioxide emissions. We’ll start by considering all the places we use plastic, then discuss how to avoid it. We’ll also look at alternatives to plastic, how we can influence others to use less plastic, and new solutions that can replace plastic. Learn how to use less plastic in your everyday life.
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A complete video is available below:
NOVEMBER 14, 2024: Eat Pizza for the Planet—Making Meals that Reduce Climate Change
Two of the top 10 things people can do to reverse global warming, Project Drawdown found, are reducing food waste and eating a plant-rich diet. Our response is often, ‘Who, me? I don’t waste and I eat right!’ Despite what we think, our diets may not be as climate-friendly as we think. We’ll dig into the details to find out why our food has so much impact and what we can do about it. You can experiment with new dishes, for example, to eat lower-impact meals and reduce waste. If you’re a meat-eater, you can have less impact by doing something other than giving up meat. Learn how to change the way you shop, prepare different meals and use all the food you buy so you can be eco-friendly.
The slides for this presentation are now available here.
A video is now available:
OCTOBER 10, 2024: Plant Trees for Cleaner, Healthier, Cooler Air
Trees provide a multitude of benefits, including reducing climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide, protecting against floods, providing shade that cools urban areas and gardens as well as fields or streams, and enhancing neighborhood ambience. Whether you plant a single tree or help communities plant trees, your efforts can help to care for creation. We’ll discuss why and how to plant trees, what species to select for a warmer future, ways to get free or low-cost trees, and how to participate in local or city tree-planting initiatives.
The slides from this presentation can be downloaded here.
A video is now available:
SEPTEMBER 12, 2024: A Season of Creation
Each year from September 1 to October 4, the Christian family unites for this worldwide celebration of prayer and action to protect our common home. It is a special season where we celebrate God as Creator and acknowledge Creation as the divine continuing act that summons us as collaborators to love and care for the gift of all that is created. This year, the theme for the season is “To hope and act with Creation”. Amid the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, and eco-anxiety among some, we are called to lift the hope inspired by our faith in concrete actions of prayer, service and solidarity. We will discuss the background of the Season of Creation, what it means for us and actions we can take during the month.
The slides from this presentation can be downloaded here.
A video is available here:
AUGUST 8, 2024: How to Cope with Seattle’s Shift from Water Deluges to the now-frequent Droughts
Not long ago, droughts in Western Washington seemed unimaginable. Droughts now seem to happen on a regular basis, though, and water cutbacks have been required. We’ll share some of the science behind these shifts and the outlook for the future. We’ll then look at how we can prepare for drier times in our homes or gardens and how to participate in policy decisions that can help us cope.
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
The following links were shared:
- U.S. Drought Monitor from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Climate Re-analyzer from the University of Maine
A video is now available:
JULY 11, 2024: Heat! How to Stay Cool, Sustainably, and How to Prepare for Hotter Summers
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A video is now available:
JUNE 13, 2024: Solar, Wind, and Geothermal Energy, and How to Tap Renewable Energy
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A video is now available:
MAY 9, 2024: Farms for a Sustainable Future and How to Support Farmers
with guest, farmer Tyler Morse
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
The following resources were shared:
-
- Tilth Alliance's Maritime Northwest Garden Guide (Second Edition)
- Biodynamic Gardening: Grow Healthy Plants and Amazing Produce by "DK"
- JADAM Organic Farming (Second Edition) by Youngsang Cho – a book describing the innovative farming technology developed by of JADAM Organic Farming institute and collective in Korea
- Dr. Elaine Ingham's SOILFOODWEB School
- The Weston A. Price Foundation
A video is now available:
APRIL 11, 2024: Money for Good: How to Give or Invest with your Values and Climate Goals
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A video is now available below:
MARCH 7, 2024: Spring Cleaning
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A video is now available below:
FEBRUARY 8, 2024: Innovations to Stop Global Warming
The slides from this presentation can be seen here.
A complete video is now available:
JANUARY 11, 2024: Climate Policy: The Impact on Your Life, Your Pocketbook and the Planet
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A video is now available below:
DECEMBER 14, 2023: Food that is Better for the Planet and your Pocketbook
The slides from this presentation will be posted here when they are available.
A video of this conversation may be seen below:
NOVEMBER 9, 2023: Celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with a Creation Care Mindset
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A video of this conversation may be seen below:
OCTOBER 12, 2023: Save Money by Caring for Creation
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A video of this conversation is available below:
SEPTEMBER 14, SEPTEMBER 21, 2023: Simple Seattle Solutions to be a Voice for Conservation and Creation Care
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A video of this conversation may be seen below:
AUGUST 10, 2023: Stay Stylish with Climate-friendly Clothing Choices
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
This Conversation was inadvertently not recoded. We apologize for the inconvenience.
JULY 13, 2023: Changing our Daily Routine to Save the Planet
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A complete video may be seen below:
JUNE 8, 2023: Practical Ideas to Use Renewable Energy
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A complete video may be seen below:
THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2023: Plan, Cook, and Eat Great Meals
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
a complete video may be seen below:
APRIL 11, 2023: Recycle
Download the slides from this presentation here.
Resources from our presenter from Recology:
- To find a plastic bag receptacle near you: https://bagandfilmrecycling.org/
- King County’s “What do I do with…?” tool where you can search for how to/where to drop specific items that are bulky/uncommon: https://info.kingcounty.gov/services/recycling-garbage/solid-waste/what-do-i-do-with/
- Seattle Public Utility’s “Where Does It Go?” tool for how to dispose of smaller household items: https://www.seattle.gov/utilities/your-services/collection-and-disposal/where-does-it-go#/a-z
A complete video can be seen below:
March 14, 2023: Reuse
The slides from this presentation are now available here.
A complete video can be seen here:
December 6, 2022: Creation Care Perspectives on Shopping at Christmas Time
The slides from the presentation may be seen here. Video may be seen here and below.
Here is the poem shared during the event: Slow me down, Lord.
November 1, 2022: Investing with Your Values ( with Penelope Jackson & Richard Hartung)
The slides from this presentation may be seen here.
Video of this conversation may be seen here and below.
In addition, Penelope Jackson shared the following resources:
• ESG (Environmental/Social/Governance criteria) FAQ
• Responsible Investing Glossary
• How to find an Investment Advisor
• The Carbon Almanac
August 2, 2022: What you can do about Water
The slides from the presentation may be seen here.
July 5, 2022: What you can do about Energy (with Richard Wesley & Richard Hartung)
The slides from this presentation may be seen here.
June 7, 2022: What you can do about Food (with Marc Aubertin & Richard Hartung)
The slides from the presentation may be seen here.
2 Responses
Marjorie Ringness
Really looking forward to these practical conversations that also connect our faith to our concern for the environment.
James Geenen
I am visiting my daughter’s family here in Seatle this week and will be attending your church service tomorrow April 7th. I just returned from Ecuador where I’ve reconnected with the Cofan Nation’s Chief Randy Borman who gave me a most insightful orientation of their challenge with preserving a million acres of some of the most biologically diversified tropical rainforest in the world. I’ve committed to working to support their efforts and would very much like to share with you my take-away from my visit there. It is a very exciting opportunity to invest in supporting the Cofans whose land is positioned at headwaters of the Amazon. I have no doubt that God is inviting us to do something about this.
Please give me a call should you wish to talk. I plan on attending your online your Thursday evening session on “Money or Good” this coming week but would also hope to meet with the presenter if possible. My number is: XXX-XXX-XXXX Thank you.
Jim Geenen
Environmental Action Community BOD Member of Western North Carolina