Ongoing
This 15th edition of the Laure Waridel Bursary is open to students with a bachelor's degree who are enrolled in a master's or doctoral program or who have received a graduate or postgraduate degree within the past year, and whose research seeks to move the ecological transition forward.
Created in 2008, this $15,000 bursary encourages the dissemination of applied research that can be translated into action.
Applications will be evaluated by an internal Caisse d'économie solidaire Desjardins committee no later than 4:00 p.m. on September 8, 2025.
“ To make the transition work, we need to amplify solutions from all areas and we need to take action on the ground together. Social and environmental change is brought about by citizen engagement on many levels. We are the water we drink, the air we breathe, the soil that feeds us and the sum of the social links that we forge - now - for the future of our children and all living things. ”
The Laure Waridel Bursary seeks to address such topics as sustainable mobility, agriculture and food, which are aligned with Équiterre's strategic priorities.
It’s important to support and encourage the next generation of environmentalists - the future of the environmental movement. Their implication, determination and capacity to create awareness is crucial in the fight against the climate crisis.
Équiterre is proud to support and encourage the innovative projects that today’s youth are putting forward for the ecological transition.
The application period is now closed for the 15th edition of the Laure Waridel Bursary.
Applications will be evaluated by an internal Caisse d'économie solidaire Desjardins committee no later than 4:00 p.m. on September 8, 2025.
Joris Maillochon is a committed citizen and Master's student in environmental sciences. His research project sheds light on the socio-ecological transition and encourages citizen mobilization in Montreal.
Julien Olivier Beaulieu's project is aimed at tackling environmental disinformation and helping consumers to make more informed decisions.
The bursary is awarded to Noémie Videaud Maillette, a master's student in environmental management and circular economy. Her research project concerns post-industrial and post-consumer textile waste and will take the form of a documentary theater.
The bursary went to Caroline Dufour-L'Arrivée, an MA student in agroforestry at Université Laval, for her research project: a guide to establishing community forest gardens in Quebec.
Marie-Élise Samson, a doctoral candidate in agronomy at Université Laval, was awarded the bursary for her research project on the capacity of agricultural soil to store carbon and thus combat climate change.
Marianne Falardeau-Côté, a doctoral candidate in renewable resources at McGill University, received the Laure Waridel Bursary for her interdisciplinary research into the importance of eco-systemic services in the community, such as healthy, nutrient-rich seafood.
The Laure Waridel Bursary was awarded to Valérie Toupin-Dubé to allow her to develop and disseminate the “École-O-Champ” learning/teaching kit to bring sustainable agriculture and food into our schools and other public institutions.
The bursary went to Chantal Lacasse, an MA student in environmental management at Université de Sherbrooke, for her project: a comparative analysis of various wheat production methods in Quebec.
The winner of the sixth Laure Waridel Bursary is Olivier Samson-Robert, an MA student in plant biology at Université Laval. His study on the impact of neonics (a new class of insecticide that threatens pollinizers) on bees, captured the attention of the selection panel.
Marcus Lobb, a BA student in environmental geography, is awarded the bursary for his ambitious project in urban agriculture. “Concordia City Farm School” has three community-building parts: urban vegetable production, harvesting of medicinal herbs for therapeutic purposes, and an internship entitled “Jardin dans les écoles” (gardening in our schools).
The Laure-Waridel Bursary is awarded to Bruno Demers, who holds a Master’s degree in sociology from UQAM, for his project “Rénocyclage Montréal, enquête sur le milieu de la déconstruction et de l'écorénovation” (Rénocyclage Montréal, survey on the deconstruction and eco-renovation sector).
Marie-Eve Arbour, a communications graduate at UQAM, receives the bursary for her project on three aspects of citizen involvement: organic farming, environmentally responsible habitat and civic engagement in a number of regions of Quebec.
The winner is Vincent Galarneau, a Master’s student in anthropology at Université Laval, for his project Guide des pratiques éco-solidaires à la ferme (guide to environmental and communal practices on the farm).
Équiterre and the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins create and launch the Laure Waridel Bursary to recognize Laure Waridel’s exceptional contribution to the advancement of environmental and social issues and to encourage the dissemination of research in Quebec.
February 2009 – The inaugural winner is announced: Julie Guicheteau, a Master’s student in civil engineering majoring in environmental studies, whose project looks at success factors for carrying out sustainable transportation projects.
The Laure-Waridel Bursary focuses on the environmental transition involving collective action around the following themes:
Reducing GHG emissions;
Reducing waste;
Farming and eating more sustainably;
Fostering sustainable mobility;
Making intelligent land use decisions (development, green spaces, energy, buildings);
Promoting responsible finance;
Encouraging citizen mobilization.
To participate, you must:
Be a Canadian citizen or have permanent resident status;
Reside in Quebec;
Be 18 years or over as of June 10, 2025;
Not have received a bursary from the Desjardins Foundation or the Caisse d’économie solidaire Desjardins in 2024;
Be a full-time university student or enrolled for at least six months in the fall 2025 session at an institution recognized by the Ministère de l’Éducation et de l’Enseignement supérieur;
Have received your degree less than a year before applying.
The evaluation criteria are detailed in this PDF document entitled Règlement et critères d’admissibilité (in French).
