Quaker Earthcare Witness

In 1985, Friends at Pacific Yearly Meeting established a Unity with Nature Committee. This group published the Friends In Unity With Nature Newsletter. Two years later, at Friends General Conference Gathering, Bill and Alice Howenstine led a workshop on human-earth relations. At this time Friends were led to call a special meeting to incorporate care for the Earth into Quaker belief and practice; this group published Befriending Creation. Friends In Unity With Nature Newsletter was then joined with the latter. The group that grew out of the FGC Gathering formally changed its name to Quaker Earthcare Witness (QEW) in 2003. Although many of its members affiliate with FGC, membership is not limited to one branch of Friends. Today QEW is an autonomous organization with annual gatherings. It raises awareness through publications, political action, and service projects.