SECOND TUESDAYS, 6:30–7:30 P.M. (NOTE NEW DAY AND TIME), 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 first second Tuesday 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
APRIL 11, 2023: Recycle
Recycling sounds easy, and separate waste bins for recycling and food waste make it seem simple. The reality is harder. Figuring out what to do with coffee cups, different types of plastic, digital devices and more becomes complex. We’ll look at a slew of different items that cause consternation when people try to figure out whether they’re recyclable, and we’ll provide answers about what you can do and where you can recycle them.
MAY 9, 2023: Family Fun to Save the Planet
While we often take action as individuals for conservation and reducing climate change, some families are doing even more by collaborating. Whether it’s creating a family carbon footprint, playing digital games to learn about climate change, working together to reduce and recycle or other actions, families learn from each other and do more to save the planet when they collaborate. We will provide examples of how families work together effectively to mitigate climate change and offer examples of family activities to save the planet.
JUNE 13, 2023: Eat Great Meals and Reduce Food Waste
Producing food and getting it from the farm to our table creates nearly a quarter of global greenhouse gasses. Remarkably, nearly 40% of that food is wasted in America. While we may think we are careful, there’s more we can do to reduce food waste. We’ll explain the background of the climate impact of food, discuss simple ways to reduce food wastage and provide examples of what individuals or communities have done to reduce food waste.
JULY 11, 2023: Simple Seattle Solutions to be a Voice for Conservation and Creation Care
Climate change and solutions are constantly being discussed all around Seattle at meetings for the city council, city departments, the Port of Seattle and other public bodies. Writing a letter or even just simply showing up to support conservation and reduction of climate change can make a big difference. Learn how to find out about these meetings and provide your input, whether you’re an introvert who wants to stay behind the scenes or an extrovert who is happy to talk to anyone.
AUGUST 8, 2023: Find Great Deals for Local Foods and Plant-Based Meals
While many of us think first of going to farmers markets to buy produce from local farms that is far fresher and tastes better, there are other places to purchase products. For people considering a switch to plant-based meals such as Impossible Burgers who don’t find products or see that they cost too much, there are alternatives. We’ll discuss where to buy local produce, where to find plant-based products, and alternatives to better-known plant-based foods such as Impossible that taste great and cost less.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2023: Embracing a Creation Care Mindset
As we go about our daily lives, it’s easy just to continue what we’ve always done and not think about the impacts of our activities on the planet. Some of the most effective ways of caring for creation and mitigating climate change can come from changing our habits, routines and mindsets. We’ll discuss what types of habits may create climate change, look at the impact of changing what we do and then focus on examples and best practices of how we can shift our mindsets and habits to have a positive impact on the planet.
OCTOBER 10, 2023: Insights from Saint Mark’s Carbon Tracker
Using a carbon tracker does more than just tell you how much carbon dioxide your actions are creating at a point in time. Indeed, it’s a tool you can use all the time to get ideas on how to reduce your environmental impact, save money and care for creation. We’ll provide examples of actions suggested on the Carbon Tracker that can help us care for creation, and we’ll discuss how we can use the Tracker more effectively.
Hillary L. McBride is a therapist, researcher, speaker and writer. She holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of British Columbia, with a focus on women’s experiences in and of the body, particularly at significant transitions points. She is the author of Mothers, Daughters, and Body Image: Learning to Love Ourselves as We Are (2017), Embodiment and Eating Disorders (2018), and, most recently, The Wisdom of Your Body (2021). Learn more about Hillary here.
