Listening to the earth : an environmental audit for Benedictine communities

In the past 1500 years, Benedictines have held Environmental Stewardship as an essential, defining value. It is an explicit policy of most Benedictine monasteries and communities world-wide to apply environmental stewardship principles to their land, buildings and work. The environmental audit presented here is designed to self-examine the extent to which the Benedictine community embraces this core value, grows in its understanding of environmental responsibility, and expresses it in prayer, ministry and community life. As Benedictines, they feel that they have a responsibility to help create a new vision for our planet by applying 1500 years of lived community experience to the new realities. In this audit it is presented as a challenge, to extend the traditional Benedictine value of stewardship by abandoning dominance and embracing interdependence. Sustainability, meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, is felt as a call to justice. Sustainable living is an approach to social and economic activities, for all societies, rich or poor, which is compatible with the preservation of the environment. It is based on a philosophy of interdependence, of respect for life as well as non-living parts of Nature, and of responsibility for future generations.

Step-by step, it is explained how to conduct an audit, and how to establish a successful environmental program. Although written for a specific audience, this publication can be useful for anyone needing guidance while writing an environmental audit.