Carbon Emissions Reduction
The Vestry has adopted the goal for the entire Saint Mark’s campus and community to have a net zero carbon footprint by the year 2030. We encourage parishioners at Saint Mark’s to sign up with the Episcopal Church Carbon Tracker at www.sustainislandhome.org, a tool to help our community measure its collective carbon footprint and take action to reduce that footprint.
Click here for more detailed instructions about how to use this resource. See the resources and recording from a Climate Conversation about the importance of reducing our household carbon footprints and ways to better use the Episcopal Church carbon tracker tool. Why is measuring your carbon footprint is important? Listen to this excellent podcast about why our collective actions really do make a difference!
The Creation Care ministry has researched several carbon offset programs and suggests that parishioners donate to the Carbon Offset Fund here at St. Mark’s when making offset contributions. These funds will then be directly passed through to either the Carbon Offset Cooperative Mission | The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia (ecww.org) or to COTAP.org.
We were delighted to learn recently that a group of elementary students from Alabama used our Creation Care Ministry webpage in their research to learn about steps they can take to become more eco-friendly at home. They also shared another site they found to help in this effort - “Guide to Going Green at Home" at https://couponfollow.com/research/home-green-guide. Check it out and know that people are connecting across the country to help care for our Earth.
For an update and more information about the Carbon Offset Cooperative Mission partnership between the Olympia Diocese and the Diocese of the Southern Philippines, view this short webinar here.
Leffler Garden
The Leffler Garden provides an opportunity on the Cathedral Campus for parishioners and community members to grow vegetables, herbs and flowers in an urban neighborhood. Through planting, we can connect more deeply with one another and the land while sharing and enjoying what we grow. The garden can also be a place to think, breath and appreciate greens space! Learn more here.
Seed Library
Saint Mark's seed library makes it easy for the community to share, take and grow seeds to enjoy vegetables, herbs and flowers while learning more about the land on which we live, move and have being in Seattle. Learn more here.
Creation Care Newsletter
The Creation Care Ministry sends out a special newsletter every two months. It is full of events, reflections, recommendations, and interesting information. Sign up to receive future issues using this form (select "Creation Care" from the list of options), or, if you already receive emails from the Saint Mark's, click the "update profile" link at the very bottom any cathedral mass email, and follow the instructions.
Current issue:
Recent issues:
For older newsletters please visit the Creation Care Ministry Meeting Archive Page.
Climate Conversations
SECOND THURSDAY OF THE MONTH, 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 are held on environmentally-friendly Zoom on the second Thursday evening of each month from 6:30–7:30 p.m.
Learn more about upcoming conversations and find resources and video of three years of past conversations here.
Register to participate using this link. You can be part of any or all of these conversations with the same Zoom link each month.
Thin Places: Climate Change and Seeing Earth Whole
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2025, 7:30 P.M. (Community Resource Fair at 6:30 p.m.)
Join Saint Mark’s Cathedral for a compelling public conversation with the Rev. Lisa Graumlich, Ph.D., a distinguished climate scientist and ordained deacon.
Held in conjunction with the TERRA Exhibit—a 24-foot rotating replica of the Earth suspended in the nave—Dr. Graumlich’s talk will explore how climate change reveals our world as a single, interconnected system.
More information and a complete video of the presentation and Q&A can be found here.
Creation Care Story Sharing
The Creation Care Ministry Story Sharing Project allows parishioners to share actions they are taking related to Creation Care, as a way for parishioners to share their good work and to encourage others to help reduce climate change. Stories can be about any action you are taking, large or small, to care for creation and mitigate climate change. Stories can take the form of a brief written essay, a video, a photo album, an infographic, or a piece of podcast-style audio. Sharing these stories can help others to learn, lead to new ideas about what to do, and be an inspiration for others to take action too. Find more details about sharing your own story here.
In the fist installment, Elizabeth Clark-Stern reflects on choosing to eat vegan, Marjorie Ringness shares a strategy for saving water in the kitchen, and Richard Hartung writes about buying second-hand.
In volume 2, Judy Raunig-Graham tell the story of her climate-related actions, Carolyn White on clothes-drying, and a delightful video from Nicole Thomson about motor vehicle idling.
In the latest installment, Elizabeth Clark-Stern confronts "nature on her own terms," Sue & Ed Tierney share changed they've made in their house both big and small, Alexandra Thompson talks about choosing an e-bike over a second car... and more stories to come!
Deep Time Walk Reflections
The Deep Time Walk offered by the Creation Care Ministry and led by Richard Hartung on September 22, 2024, was a unique opportunity to engage with the profound history of the Earth, our island home, and our place in it. Mary Koch was one of the participants, and she has published this insightful reflection on her experience. Thank you Mary!
Reflections
Parishioner and literature professor Doug Thorpe and parishioner, writer, and environmental consultant Richard Hartung submit occasional reflections on the environment, faith, and current events:
