Clear Sky is committed to promoting the teaching of awakening for current and future generations. One way to do this is to reduce our environmental impact as much as possible so that the center itself is sustainable.
Clear Sky and Grasslands
Grasslands have some of the highest biodiversity in Canada and are particularly threatened in the region surrounding Clear Sky.
Our founding teacher Catherine Pawasarat spearheaded projects on-site to restore areas of grasslands restoration. These projects as an opportunity to live generously.
“We recognize that the health of a human community depends on the health of the ecosystem.
Awakening is the essence of sustainability.
– Catherine Pawasarat Sensei
Our Green Building
In 2010, with the need to separate our administration center, teachers and residents’ accommodation from our retreat building, we undertook a construction project that would be a showcase of sustainable building.
We completed this annualized-geosolar building months ahead of schedule, and under budget. Aside from an incredible head builder and some local tradespeople, we achieved this with volunteer labour.
The story of our green building project, how the Five Principles helped – Coming Soon.
Sustainable Practices
Here are some of the solutions we are applying; some new, some old, and some with an exploratory twist:
- We heat our new green building through the winter using energy stored from summer sun. This is called annualised geo-solar heating.
- We are pioneering a cold-climate food forest in the area, and have offered courses on food forests and permaculture.
- We use and ask visitors to use biodegradable toiletries.
- We recycle everything we can.
- We eat our own or locally produced food whenever possible.
- We buy local and have injected thousands of dollars into the local community.
- We have been using high efficiency compact fluorescent lights (CFL) since we started, and have begun the transition to LED bulbs. Lighting is perhaps the easiest way for anyone to make an immediate and almost effortless difference to their power consumption.
