“Only when we see that we are part of the totality of the planet, not a superior part with special privileges, can we work effectively to bring about an earth restored to wholeness.”
– Elizabeth Watson
Who We Are
Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) is a network of Friends (Quakers) in North America working on Earthcare concerns. We work to inspire Spirit-led action toward ecological sustainability and environmental justice.
QEW has grown out of a strong leading among Friends that our future depends on a spiritual transformation in our relationships with each other and the natural world. For over 30 years, we have helped Friends integrate Earthcare into their daily lives.
As our communities are being impacted more and more by the climate crisis, we feel an urgent leading to share our witness.
What We Do
- Empower individuals to take Spirit-led action on ecological concerns and build a community of Quaker committed to Earthcare
- Share spiritual and educational resources with faith communities
- Connect Friends caring for the Earth
- Speak out as a public Quaker voice about critical ecological concerns and environmental justice
Our Vision & Witness
WE ARE CALLED to live in right relationship with all Creation, recognizing that the entire world is interconnected and is a manifestation of God.
WE WORK to integrate into the beliefs and practices of the Religious Society of Friends the Truth that God’s Creation is to be respected, protected, and held in reverence in its own right, and the Truth that human aspirations for peace and justice depend upon restoring the earth’s ecological integrity.
WE PROMOTE these Truths by being patterns and examples, by communicating our message, and by providing spiritual and material support to those engaged in the compelling task of transforming our relationship to the earth.
Some Friends may choose different language to describe their personal reasons for supporting or sharing in the work of Quaker Earthcare Witness. All are welcome who seek to further QEW’s programs and activities.
How We Work
We are a volunteer-led organization guided by a 50-person Steering Committee that uses Quaker process and decision-making to guide our work. Our Steering Committee is comprised of at-large members and nominated representatives from Quaker Yearly Meetings (regional groups) in North America. The day-to-day work is done by staff.
Our broader network includes thousands of Friends and hundreds of Quaker meetings and churches who read our newsletter, attend our events, share our educational resources with their communities, and connect together on social media. We also collaborate with Quaker partner organizations, the broader environmental justice movement, and faith-based networks.
Our Staff
Shelley Tanenbaum
Shelley combines her lifelong love of nature with many years of environmental advocacy and research. She has served as staff and a board member of QEW, Quaker Institute for the Future, Earthlight Magazine and many other non-profit organizations. She is an environmental scientist with a focus on air quality. Shelley lives in the San Francisco area and is a member of Strawberry Creek Monthly Meeting.
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Keith Runyan
Keith Runyan is a Quaker changemaker, visionary, and activist born and raised in Pacific Yearly Meeting in Northern California. In 2018, Keith undertook a 12 day hunger strike while travelling in the ministry to bolster awareness and action on the climate crisis and environmental justice. Since that time, Keith has worked as an educator, activist-organizer, researcher, and podcaster - becoming sought after as a panelist and speaker in the West Coast Quaker World.
In his home life, Keith is a guitarist, singer, adventurer, and loving partner of his sweetie, Nora, with whom he is an expecting parent to be.
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Miche McCall
(They/Them)
Miche seeks to live out all the Quaker testimonies, especially Earthcare. They served as a Quaker Voluntary Service Fellow at the Massachusetts Climate Action Network and graduated with a Masters in Theopoetics and Writing from the Earlham School of Religion. Originally from the Pacific Northwest, Miche has settled in New York City and attends Brooklyn Monthly Meeting.
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Support Our Work
We’re the primary Quaker voice addressing the issues of climate change and the environment. Please consider helping to build a robust, creative, impactful network of Friends taking action to care for each other and the planet—and make a donation today.