Western Episcopal dioceses gather to tackle shared climate challenges

About 75 Episcopalians from 14 dioceses across Province VIII, the westernmost province of The Episcopal Church spanning more than 7,000 miles from the Southwest to Alaska, Hawai'i, and Taiwan, gathered September 25-27 at the Episcopal Retreat & Conference Center in Salt Lake City for a Creation Care Network Conference. The dioceses share climate-related challenges including water scarcity and wildfires. Ecumenical partners from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the United Church of Christ also attended. Presentations organized by element—water, air, fire, and land—addressed issues including the Great Salt Lake's loss of 73 percent of its water and 60 percent of its surface area since 1850, with current annual evaporation of approximately 2 million acre-feet. The Rev. Lisa Graumlich, a climatologist and deacon at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Tucson, Arizona, delivered the keynote address, emphasizing that creation care requires community covenant rather than individual action. Presenters shared case studies including San Francisco Baykeeper's conservation model and the Diocese of Northern California's progress toward The Episcopal Church's 2030 carbon neutrality goal, with St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Arcata achieving a zero-carbon footprint in 2025 through solar and electric upgrades begun in 2018.

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Source: Episcopal News Service — https://episcopalnewsservice.org/2026/09/29/province-viii-episcopalians-address-shared-climate-issues-solutions-at-creation-care-conference/