Environment
Santi Forest Monastery is proud to continue the noble tradition of monastics living in the forest. Our lifestyle makes us highly aware and sensitive to nature, the changing of the seasons, and our potentially harmful impact on our surroundings. Living here, we wake to the sights, sounds, and smells of the bush. For us, environmental concern is not a matter of presenting a superficially ‘green’ image, but is inherent in our very choice of how to spend our lives in accordance with the Dhamma.
Since starting to develop the monastery in 2003, we have followed a consistent commitment towards environmentally friendly practices. This is embodied in all aspects of our physical infrastructure and how we choose to live.
One of the most important, but least appreciated, aspects of energy saving is in the materials of the building itself. Wood is by far the most energy efficient of the normal building materials, using many times less energy in its manufacture than steel, and especially concrete and brick, which require tremendous amounts of heat in the manufacture. So all our kutis are built of wood, with fire-resistant cladding, and in the main building we avoid the use of concrete and brick wherever possible.
Santi’s electricity is 100% Government accredited Greenpower, which comes from renewable sources such as solar, wind, water, and bio-waste. We have also installed energy saving lighting like compact fluorescents and LED lights. Our solar hot water system (with a gas backup) has an energy efficiency rating of 5 1/2 stars out of 6.
Winters in Bundanoon are very cold, so design of the heating systems is probably the most critical factor in terms of energy usage, especially in the main buildings. The original house had poor insulation and was mainly heated by electric oil heaters and an inefficient wood heater. In our renovations, we install the maximum efficiency of insulation, and use thick glass and other heat-saving methods. Heating in the main house is from a new wood stove and from water radiators, which are fed from the solar/gas system, supplemented by a ‘wetback’, which uses waste heat from the wood stove flue to heat water. In the new upstairs hall, we are installing underfloor heating; this is most efficient way to deliver heat, especially in a meditation hall, where people are sitting on the floor under a high ceiling. Space heating wastes most of the heat in the top part of the room, while floor heating is just where you need it.
Kutis (huts) are heated in the very cold highland winters using specially made extra-small wood stoves. Most kutis are well insulated so it doesn’t take much wood to heat them up. All the wood we use, of course, comes from dead trees on the monastery; as well as providing heat, clearing them helps to reduce the bush-fire risk.
Water usage is another critical aspect of environmental policy. We have installed a rainwater tank, which feeds the bathrooms. Water from the toilets is treated in a biological system, then pumped out through reticulation. The grey water (from the laundry, bathroom, etc.) goes through a new organic filter system, and then feeds a system of underwater pipes which will water the lawn at the back of the house. Our washing machines and toilets are the most water efficient we could find.
We also recycle plastic, paper, glass and metal waste materials. Waste food is composted, or feeds Patrick the builder’s chooks.
Last and very far from least, the beloved monastery ute, a veritable ‘Mahayana’, is a Toyota Landcruiser. When staying in the outback, I was told that the Pitjantjatjara people regard Landcruisers as ‘the only good thing the white man’s brought into this country’. It’s an environmental paradox: it lasts virtually forever, so has relatively little embodied energy; but it’s dreadfully fuel-inefficient. But rest easy: Santi’s Landcruiser runs on LPG. Our van, a Mitsubishi Delica, is a turbo diesel, so is relatively efficient for a vehicle of its class.