Looking for practical ways to reduce your impact on the environment? Saint Mark’s Creation Care Ministry hosts Climate Conversations about everyday things in our lives. These monthly conversations are held on environmentally-friendly Zoom on the second Thursday evening of each month from 6:30 - 7:30 P.M.
Register to participate using this link (same Zoom link each month).
UPCOMING CONVERSATIONS
Please note: Schedule and descriptions subject to change.
JANUARY 8, 2025
Topic TBA
FEBRUARY 12, 2025
Topic TBA
RECENT CONVERSATIONS
DECEMBER 11, 2025
Innovations for Climate Change and Creation Care
Innovations to reduce or adapt to climate change, ranging from new devices or services to practices we can use every day, and more, are bubbling up all the time. Leveraging practical and useful innovations can help us to care for creation more effectively. We’ll discuss the new ideas, innovations and practices that are occurring, how to learn about them without becoming overwhelmed, and opportunities to use them or put them into practice in our daily lives. We’ll also discuss how to keep abreast of the changes.
The slides prepared for this conversation can be seen here. A recording will be posted when availalbe.
NOVEMBER 13, 2025
Preparing for a Creation Care Christmas
Christmas is a time of joy and celebration with Christmas trees and ornaments, special foods, family celebrations, presents and more. The spike in shopping and energy usage also has a big impact on climate change. We’ll discuss the impact of Christmas and the holiday season on climate, creation care practices for a more meaningful and less impactful Christmas, and how to make sure the reason for Christmas is at the center of our celebrations.
The slides prepared for this conversation can be seen here. This conversation was not recorded.
OCTOBER 9, 2025
How to Handle Weather like Cyclone Bombs
As the weather starts to turn cold and rainy in the Seattle area, we’re likely to hear more about and experience cold spells or floods during the coming months. We may even learn new terms, as happened with “cyclone bomb” in 2024. While hurricanes, typhoons, floods and more may seem like they have little impact in Seattle, high winds and other changes are causing more impacts such as power outages and street blockages or home damage from fallen trees. We’ll discuss the changing weather in the region and more broadly, the actual or potential impacts, and how to prepare for a changing climate in the autumn and year-round.
The slides from this conversation can be downloaded here.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2025
Fall Fashion and Creation Care
The end of summer can signal the fall fashion season and back-to-school shopping for new clothes. In our fast fashion and convenience-focused culture, though, clothing has an outsized impact on climate. A creation care mindset can help us choose great clothing that is also better for the planet. We’ll discuss the impact of clothing on climate, how to look for clothing that is more climate-friendly, and shopping solutions that are better for the planet.
The slides from this conversation can be downloaded here.
JUNE 12, 2025
Creation Care Practices for Managing your Money
After we earn money, we often spend, save, share and invest as we’ve always done without thinking about the link between funds, our values and creation care. How we receive and use our money does, though, have a significant impact. Practices at some banks, brokerage firms and other financial institutions may not align with our values. We’ll discuss the impact financial institutions and our savings have on climate, alternatives for creation care-friendly finance, and ways to manage our money – whether we have a little or a lot - in line with our values. We will also discuss how using AI can make analyzing our money choices easier.
The slides from this presentation can be downloaded here.
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.
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.
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.