The Irreplaceable Campaign

By Kaitlin Torgerson

I was first introduced to conservation work and creation care during my early elementary school years. My family spent good portions of our summers camping in Minnesota’s State Parks. My parents, always seeking extra educational moments, made sure that we attended the park’s naturalist programming. It was at these talks that I first learned about the wildlife around me and our human impact on their habitat.

Today, we know more than ever about our human effects on climate and wildlife habitat. The more we learn, the more we understand the immediacy of protecting the wildlife that are starting to feel the repercussions of climate change. More and more we hear about the future of the polar bear, but climate change will alter the habitats and ecosystems of all species, including the Pacific Salmon and Gray Whales in our backyards.

The Irreplaceable Campaign recognizes the need to protect all of God’s creation. This partnership of faith, science, justice, and art groups have come together with the common goal of educating policymakers and the public about the impacts of global warming. Through the use of stunning photography, a traveling photo exhibit is making its way across the country and will be exhibited at the Burke Museum from July 11-August 10. These images are striking and moving as we recognize the need to protect these imperiled species.

As the exhibit travels across the country, the campaign is gathering signatures for a “Call to Care.” This letter asks policymakers to protect these plants and animals and to take serious action to save them. Please see our website to read and sign this important letter.

The closer we get to the exhibit’s arrival, think about getting your church to take a trip out to see the exhibit after worship or on a Saturday morning. Gather an outing for your vacation Bible school to see this beautiful photography and learn about these plants and animals. Host a table at coffee hour to have people sign the Call to Care letter. Please feel free to contact me, Kaitlin, at Earth Ministry (206-632-2426 or Kaitlin@earthministry.org) for questions or to get materials for your church. To get a taste of the exhibit and to learn more about species in the Northwest that will feel these impacts of climate change, check out the Irreplaceable Campaign's website.

The greater knowledge we obtain, the more we talk to our neighbors, and the faithfulness of which we communicate our values, will help to influence our policymakers to protect all of this great creation.

Irreplaceable Campaign Photo Exhibit
July 11-August 10
Burke Museum-University of Washington campus
Corner of 17th Ave. NE and NE 45th St.
Time: 10AM-5PM daily