Building a sustainable society
Established in 1981 the Ecology is one of the fastest growing building societies in the country. Based in West Yorkshire, we now have over 10,000 open accounts and assets exceeding £60m. Our success stems from a simple friendly approach, customer focus and strongly held convictions. Follow the links below to find out more...
Early roots
What makes us different?
Guiding principles
Case studies
Photo gallery
General literature
Ecology AGM
Annual report and accounts
Directors' profiles
Keeping you posted
Our future & yours
Early roots
Our initial vision was to set up a building society that specialised in properties that conveyed an ecological benefit in terms of construction, use of land or lifestyle. The idea was sparked at a Green Party Conference, following the experience of a Yorkshire solicitor, David Pedley. He had great difficulty in finding anyone willing to give him a mortgage on a property needing extensive renovation.
Someone asked the question "Why don't we start a building society?" In those days it was possible to start one with just £5,000. Ten people clubbed together, put in £500 each and the Society was registered in December 1980, commencing trading in March 1981 from a tiny upstairs office in Cross Hills, West Yorkshire.
Keeping you posted
To keep you up-to-date with developments at the Society we regularly publish a Newsletter, which is sent to all customers. We strongly encourage members to give us feedback and to attend our AGM, choosing a different location around the country each year. You can also keep up-to-date by regularly visiting our website.
Our future & yours
Becoming a member of the Ecology has a real meaning. Investors and borrowers feel a sense of personal involvement with the Society and its ideals, recapturing something of the spirit which helped to found the building society movement.
We believe that our philosophy and principles are capable of much wider application and with your help they will be.