Thank you for considering donating to Sky Roots, our innovative 21st-century, green, clean-technology building project. See the latest update.

We welcome general contributions to the project and also offer you the opportunity to donate in full or in part towards a particular item or feature of the building. See list below for individual opportunities. Please contact Karen if you wish to pay in installments.We also welcome general donations of $10, $20 towards Sky Roots.This is Kim Lenglet on the right, our head builder. Check out our YouTube video and enjoy Kim giving you a tour of Sky Roots.

Handmade by a local craftsman, these alder cabinets will look beautiful with a travertine floor. Part of the vision of Sky Roots was to support local craftsman and we are delighted to be working with someone local to make these high-quality, long lasting and beautiful cabinets for the Teacher/Consort kitchen and bathroom.

Handmade by a local craftsman, this is a specially designed moving island to be used in different ways in the kitchen.

Travertine tiles has been used in building since Roman times. It is a sedimentary rock formed by geothermally heated hot springs. The stone polishes to a beautiful and stunning surface.

This attractive tile mandala forms parts of the floor in the sunspace and provides a lovely entrance into the rest of the building.

Handmade by a local craftsman, this office space will be custom-designed and provide a comfortable working environment for the lama and consort.

Low VOC paints chosen by our onsite master painter Martin.

Low VOC paints chosen by our onsite master painter Martin.

Low VOC paints chosen by our onsite master painter Martin.

Low VOC paints chosen by our onsite master painter Martin.

Low VOC paints chosen by our onsite master painter Martin.

Low VOC paints chosen by our onsite master painter Martin.

Locally supplied, these will be beautiful, striking and long lasting granite countertops chosen to match the alder cabinets and travertine floor for a beauitful and harmonious kitchen

Simple and elegant countertops - these will be used everyday to prepare food to support our vital logistics staff and volunteers

Handmade by a local craftsman, these cabinets will use maple. Part of the vision of Sky Roots was to support local craftsman and we are delighted to be working with someone local to make these high-quality, long lasting and beautiful cabinets for the caretaker kitchen and bathroom.

Sustainably sourced beams used to construct the skirting roofs to provide shade.

Sustainably sourced wood rafters for the roof.

The south-facing windows in the sunspace both collect heat and provide beautiful vistas.

A soffit is the underside of a roof. Here we see a great shot of the protecting roof above the Teacher's deck. The wood is forest stewardship council fir.

The metal roof is great for fire-resistance. Sensei and Catherine chose the red, adding almost a Tibetan-style brightness to Clear Sky's mountain environment. Please contribute a sheet!

1 sheet of red roofing donated

These roofs are designed to have space at an optimal angle for solar panels, and to provide the right amount of summer shade.

The sunspace acts as the entrance hall to Sky Roots.

A Heat Recovery Ventilator (or HRV) is a crucial component in a highly energy-efficient building which are quite air-tight. It brings in fresh air from outside but first transfers the heat from the inside air to the new air coming in.

Clear Sky's 310 acres has a plentiful supply of fallen wood and timber from trees we need to fell for healthy forest management and grasslands restoration. The wood stove acts as a "top-up" heating system to complement the annualized geo-solar.

The fascia boards cover the rafters at the base of the roof. Sky Roots will have cedar fascia, a beautiful and naturally long-lasting wood.

Sustainable wood used to brace the roof - here they are being prepared by a Clear Sky volunteer.

This goes under the metal roof for waterproofing. Help keep the Lama dry!

Good quality Internet is essential for both the running of the center by the support staff and for the teachers' work (many students connect now to teachers via Skype, e-mail and streaming).

This system collects heat in the summer and stores it in a heat sink under the ground. The heat rises slowly, so that July's heat re-enters the building during December. The system works almost passively and is designed to reduce heating costs, meeting both our environmental and financial bottom lines.

$8,000

Or make a partial contribution of $300

Clear Sky is pioneering educational approaches to restoration of native grasslands on privately held land. Grasslands comprise less than 1% of BC's landbase and are home to more than one third of BC's endangered and at risk species. By landscaping with native grasslands we aim to offer an inspirational example of how buildings can harmonize with and improve the land of which it is a part.

We will use triple-glazed, Argon-filled, highly efficient windows from a company called Innotech. These are leading-edge windows that form a vital part of the Sky Roots thermal envelope. The large south-facing windows catch the light and radiant heat. The price of each window varies according to size, but on average

Our floors will have beautiful and interesting finishes applied directly to the concrete flooring. This surprisingly simple and attractive method both saves costs and provides an excellent thermal mass to store radiant heat from our south-facing windows.

As above – the second storey will be the main living space for the teacher/consort, with living room, kitchen, office and bedroom. This beautiful wood is also a good thermal mass.

As above – the ground floor on the support staff side will be a hub of activity, containing the office for the vital running of the center.

As above – the upper floor on the support staff side is a place for our dedicated staff to relax and refresh themselves. This beautiful wood is also a good thermal mass.

One important principle of Sky Roots is to demonstrate the integration of beauty with practical, green building technologies. Geometrical shapes can have an inspiring effect on the heart, with the circle being rich in symbology and meditative meaning.

Many of the founding members of Clear Sky met Doug Sensei in Japan, and the Japanese attention to detail, beauty and skillful use of space is an integral part of our Sangha. As well as being aesthetically pleasing and relaxing, the Japanese approach to bathing also preserves water by showering outside of the bath and reheating the bathwater.

The small north-facing windows are carefully positioned to provide beautiful views of Bull Mountain without being an energy leak.

We would like to use beautiful and unusual rugs for the floor; please donate funds towards this or let us know if you have a rug in mind that might be suitable.

We welcome recommendations for good quality, unique furniture, and also any donation of funds towards the final furnishing.

The lighting will be LED to reduce use of electricity.

We welcome recommendations for good quality, durable kitchen appliances, and also any donation of funds.

Alternative access to the building apart from the sunspace; designed to merge gracefully with the native grassland landscaping. This provides a covered outside space for eating, working and student interviews.

As above.

Sky Roots is the first phase of developing Clear Sky to fulfill its vision and mission. We are passionate about keeping our footprint small, and demonstrating beauty and environmental considerations in the way the center grows. Working with local experts, in parallel with Sky Roots we are developing a Land Use Master Plan for the entire property to guide us into the future.

Kim, our wonderful construction manager is donating two-thirds of her usual rate for free due to her dedication to this project. Help us cover one or more months to support her tireless work leading Sky Roots to completion.

1 month donated so far.

• One of the cabins in the process of being built ← Click here
• Trusses going up on Sky Roots bldg. ← Click here
• Metal roof in progress on Sky Roots ← Click here
• Index of the latest pics ← Click here