Guest Blog: Ethical finance works. But don’t take our word for it…

It might be anger at the dishonesty of the LIBOR fixers. It might be unease at the thought your money could be funding things that don’t fit with your values. It might be frustration with indifferent customer service. The arguments for moving your money are clear. But sometimes arguments aren’t enough: how you manage your money is a very personal decision.

At Ecology Building Society, people are central to what we do. We connect individuals who want to save ethically with borrowers who want to make a positive difference in the world — and we make sure we treat everyone fairly in the process. So who better to tell the story of ethical finance than our members?

Take Pam and Peter, who have saved with Ecology since our beginnings in the 1980s. They chose to save in line with their belief in living sustainably and they wanted to ensure none of their money supported oppressive regimes or the arms trade. As Peter puts it, “I wanted our money to go to help the earth and the people on it”.

Pam and Peter’s money supports projects like Bishop’s Castle Community Land Trust, a project in Shropshire to provide affordable, sustainable homes for local people, allotments and premises for new businesses. The project has proven to local people that they can make a difference in their community and has created a strong sense of local ownership.

Or take Andrew, who joined Ecology as a saver because he wants to support innovative projects that benefit the environment. Andrew had heard good things about Ecology through friends, and when he joined Ecology he found he became part of a vibrant community: “I’ve never doubted my decision to invest with Ecology. I’ve found a good fit with like-minded folk and made new friends along the way”.

Andrew’s money supports projects like Sue’s sustainable home. Sue wanted to build an eco-friendly house that would provide a ‘home for life’ for herself, her husband and her mother. With our support, she built a wheelchair-friendly, energy efficient property with a low maintenance garden and a living roof. Sue says, “Without Ecology, we would not have been able to undertake the build that has been a dream for many years”.

These aren’t personas dreamt up by a marketing agency: they’re real people who want to share their story so that other people will be inspired to join our community. They’re part of a movement of people who believe that money is a means to creating a better future — not an end in itself. You can find them all, and others here. What will your story be?

Anna Laycock, communications and research manager at Ecology Building Society

Originally published in July 2012 at moveyourmoney.org.uk