Our Quadruple Bottom Line
Clear Sky is committed to promoting the teaching of awakening for current and future generations. We have developed a generative quadruple bottom line that guides all our decision making toward the goal of developing wisdom and compassion for the awakening and benefit of all beings.
The four dimensions of our quadruple bottom line are:
- Spiritual
- Environmental
- Social
- Financial
Spiritual Bottom Line:
Unlike many corporations that put the financial well-being of the company at the forefront, at Clear Sky we believe we need to put ‘the horse before the cart’. Our priority is the spiritual awakening of the planet.
Environmental Bottom Line:
We all need a healthy planet and environment to live and grow. Caring for our environment and being responsible stewards is an act of spiritual unfoldment. At Clear Sky our goal is to be a model of responsible and sustainable environmental action.
Social Bottom Line:
When our spiritual aspirations are clear, and our environment is healthy, we can develop healthy sustainable communities. We are creating a modern monastery and a place where people can live, meet and grow, both in-person and virtually around the world.
Financial Bottom Line:
Finally, when the first three are in place we believe that the financial well-being of the organization will naturally be the outcome. We are committed to being financially responsible and generative to support out efforts.
More on Our Environmental Bottom Line
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 grassland areas that were degraded by poor management. These projects provide 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.
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.