The Société environnementale de Côte-des-Neiges (SOCENV) was founded in 1996 as a non-profit organization dedicated to environmental concerns. Under the principles of sustainable development, our current mission is to improve our local environment and the quality of life of the Côte-des-Neiges community in all its diversity.
Our mission
- Protect the environment and reduce waste in the Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, notably by implementing and monitoring selective collection services in residences, institutions and organizations, managing community composting sites, training residents of all ages on various environmental topics, and reaching agreements with municipal services for the collection of residual materials.
- Educate and raise awareness among residents of the Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough about protecting and beautifying their environment, notably by organizing environmental and horticultural workshops, operating an information office and organising annual clean-up activities and revitalisation of community spaces.
- To alleviate the poverty of residents of the Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough by meeting the food needs of the underprivileged through the establishment of collective gardens and educational workshops aimed at empowering them to take charge of their food security, as well as by collecting used furniture and redistributing it to the underprivileged who request it.
- Promote environmentally-friendly gardening methods on public and private land, by providing advice, workshops, practical demonstrations and information brochures to community gardeners and the general public.
- To receive gifts, bequests and other similar contributions of money, securities and real estate; to administer such gifts, bequests and contributions; to organize fund-raising campaigns for charitable purposes; and, in the event of dissolution, to redistribute its assets to recognized charitable organisations.
Our actions at the office
Our organisation is committed to limiting our environmental impact through a number of specific actions:
- The food waste generated in one of our offices is recycled in a collective composting site we’ve installed for the use of all the organisations in the building.
- To reduce the amount of plastic and pollutants we produce, we use washable tableware and eco-friendly household products that are refillable and made from natural ingredients.
- We encourage the use of public transport and active transportation among our employees to limit the production of greenhouse gases by reimbursing up to 70% of sustainable transportation costs.
- Wherever possible, our offices use reused or refurbished office furniture and equipment.