Your testimonials

Read the testimonials we have received to date!

Winning testimonial! Virginie Dufour - Project Manager, Laval Le 25-10-2010 What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)? It is said that "buying is voting." Opting for ethical and responsible investments is my way of expressing my values to institutions worldwide. Alone, I may not carry much weight, but by joining forces with Desjardins Funds, I know that my voice is heard. I chose the SocieTerra portfolio for the future of my children and also to help the most needy around the globe.
What positive actions do you take for the environment or society? First, I became a vegetarian about 10 years ago. With my husband, we then began composting our table scraps and choosing only products that come in recyclable or reusable containers. When they are available, we opt for products sold in refillable containers. Recently, we installed three rainwater collectors and we re-insulated our basement to make our home more energy-efficient. And when our daughter was born, we chose washable diapers and biodegradable wipes.

Charles-A. Jacques

12 -07-2011

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

When I became the father of two beautiful twins, I told myself that the nicest gift I could give my children would be a healthy world and environment.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

I use my car less and less for short distances, I recycle regularly and I try to save water, especially at home.

Francine Giguère

24-01-2011

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

To ensure a better future for us and our children.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

Recycling, recycling, recycling.

Chantal Gauthier

01-11-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

To be frank, I have held the Environment Fund for many years. I was quite young and I didn't know too much about this product, but I placed my trust in my Desjardins advisor and I invested $1,000. It was very profitable the first year and in subsequent years.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

I walk to avoid taking the car, I recycle, in the summer I water my garden with rainwater, I don't leave the lights on needlessly, etc.

Marie-Claude Robert

02-11-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

I believe in the strength of the community and in the values of SRI investments. Together we can encourage socially responsible behaviour and change things to make a better future for coming generations.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

I support the values of companies like Communauto and I get around on foot, by bicycle, or with public transit. I reduce my energy consumption and I compost. I buy second-hand clothing at thrift shops.

Chantal Camden

01-11-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

When I invest, I seek a balance between my financial needs and my social values, including protection of the environment and respect for human rights. The Desjardins Environment Fund offers this balance.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

I try to protect the environment and respect human rights as part of my daily living. I generally get around by bicycle or on foot, and I try to foster the social integration of persons with disabilities here and in the South.

Jacques Chouinard

31-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

For sustainable development, in the noble sense of the term. I try to have a fair and equitable long-term vision of my actions and my investments.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

About seven months a year, I commute to work – 35 km a day – by bicycle. In the winter, I travel by bus. For my rare trips, I compensate for my carbon emissions with Planetair.

France Bourgouin

30-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

It is important for me that my money be invested in businesses that respect the right of employees to work in a safe, environment-friendly workplace

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

I work for an environmental organization. I carry out projects to preserve biodiversity by taking concrete action and by fostering awareness in my community.

Noël Boulianne

29-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

Because a socially responsible business shows solidarity, an important value in the progress of civilizations.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

-Family purchases that take into account protection of the environment.
-Domestic recycling.
-Minimizing car travel by using public transit or walking.

Chantal Martel

29-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

Solidarity is an important value that must be reflected in corporate attitudes and behaviour. By investing in companies that embody and convey this value, we encourage them to continue their efforts in this regard.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

Domestic recycling of family waste. Using the car only for long trips or to transport large items, otherwise using public transit or simply walking.

Jean Provencher

28-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

We are all sharing this Earth together. At a time when, too often, it's "everyone for himself," it's essential that we support each other and show solidarity in any way we can.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

At my very humble country home, I try to encourage variety and diversity of life, having avoided all pesticides and herbicides for the past 36 years. I take pleasure in all life. This place has become a veritable Noah's Ark.

Suzanne Dutilly

28-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

The companies that compose the fund, and performance.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

Small daily actions, such as minimizing water consumption when brushing my teeth, not letting the tap run for nothing, recycling, not letting my car engine run needlessly, and walking to work.

Roger Sarrasin

28-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

The survival of life on the planet for the foreseeable future.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

Traveling responsibly by bicycle or metro. Using the car as little as possible.

Mathilde Leblanc

27-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

I want my money to serve causes that I care about, like social justice, respect for the environment, democracy, and international solidarity. I know that my savings are promoting my values.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

My main means of transportation is my bicycle, so I don't pollute. I frequently participate in demonstrations and marches that support environmental or social causes. I buy local products as much as possible in order to support the local economy.

Valeria Degiovanni

26-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

I want my money to be invested in such a way as to serve causes that protect the environment and foster economic solidarity. I especially don't want to my money to help finance the weapons and nuclear sectors.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

I recycle all the time; I do composting in both summer and winter; I'm careful not to waste water and electricity; I use public transit; I purchase locally grown organic produce; I buy organic meat.

Lorie Ann Gannon

25-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

To encourage companies that adopt business practices that reflect the new economic era. Greater concern and respect for the resources of our planet will mean a healthier and more promising future for the generations to come.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

At work, I always print on both sides of the page and only if necessary. I use very little colour ink. I also write on both sides of the paper I use for taking notes. I recycle.

Virginie Dufour

25-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

It is said that "buying is voting." Opting for ethical and responsible investments is my way of expressing my values to institutions worldwide. Alone, I may not carry much weight, but by joining forces with Desjardins Funds, I know that my voice is heard. I chose the SocieTerra portfolio for the future of my children and also to help the most needy around the globe.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

First, I became a vegetarian about 10 years ago. With my husband, we then began composting our table scraps and choosing only products that come in recyclable or reusable containers. When they are available, we opt for products sold in refillable containers. Recently, we installed three rainwater collectors and we re-insulated our basement to make our home more energy-efficient. And when our daughter was born, we chose washable diapers and biodegradable wipes.

Jade Aubut-Boucher

25-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

Societerra portfolios enable me to contribute to the well-being of present and future generations by supporting businesses that are like me, i.e. companies that have integrity, that are transparent, and that care about community development. An investment that pays dividends!

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

In the summer, I commute to work by bicycle, I recycle at home, I do my errands on foot and I encourage local producers in order to reduce transportation-related emissions. I also participate in community cleanup days.

Anaïs Détolle

25-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

I chose a responsible investment because I cannot imagine profiting while causing harm. I chose a responsible investment because I am bringing a child into this world whom I wish to teach respect for others and for the environment.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

Political positions and daily actions (recycling, composting, using public transit, choosing washable diapers, reusing, etc.)

Isabelle Chassé

25-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

As a citizen of the Earth, I am contributing to the development of a new environmental conscience. I invest actively to ensure a better future for the generations to come and for the Earth itself. I work, I save and I invest.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

I am a horticulturalist. I plant many trees and vegetables each year. I don't use any chemicals. I am a vegetarian and I don't buy any animal-tested products. I buy my clothes at a thrift shop, etc.

Pierre Prud'homme

23-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

« Nous "We do not inherit the earth from our parents. We borrow it from our children and future generations." It is in the spirit of this proverb (I don't know the author) that I have chosen to use my bicycle and public transit as often as possible, do composting, recycle, and consume according to my needs insofar as possible. And since the environment is also a collective concern and responsibility, I have chosen to become a member of ecological groups like Eau secours!, Équiterre, Greenpeace, and the David Suzuki Foundation for their educational efforts and political lobbying concerning the need to protect the environment. It is also with this in mind that I chose to invest in the Desjardins Environment Fund.

I am deeply convinced that it is economically profitable, in the short, medium and long term, to protect the resources that are the foundation of our economy. We are the first generation of human beings to take more resources from the earth than it is capable of regenerating. We are mortgaging the future of our children and grandchildren. It is a moral problem of injustice and lack of intergenerational solidarity.

Investing in the Desjardins Environment Fund is a tangible way for me to help build a prosperous economy with a view to justice and solidarity, the primary conditions for a prosperous society. I also chose to invest in the Desjardins Environment Fund because to guide them in their decision-making, the managers have set up an environmental advisory committee, which for me has great credibility. The 20th anniversary of the Environment Fund is an opportunity for me to see with my financial advisor whether the part of my portfolio that I have invested in this Fund reflects the importance that I place on the environment.

Maurice Brunet

22-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

In the past few years, I went from being a father to a grandfather. I want to bequeath to my grandchildren something even more important than money: a healthy environment. Thanks to small actions in each aspect of my life, I hope to make a difference!

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

I save energy as much as possible. I set the temperature in my home two degrees colder in winter and two degrees warmer in summer. I recycle (in a community that does not have a recycling program). I try not to buy products with too much packaging.

Isabel Garcia

22-10-2010

What prompted you to choose a socially responsible investment (SRI)?

The wish to be as consistent as possible with my values and principles.

What positive actions do you take for the environment or society?

I am a member of local buying groups (meat, fish, vegetables), I do composting and I have a vegetable garden. I am actively involved in my community as a volunteer in the development of cultural cooperatives.