The Green Bee, instructions for use

L’entrée de la Recyclerie et des bureaux est au 17, boulevard Jean-Jaurès.

Leo Dufour is the coordinator of the local service center. He works at the EBE "L’Abeille verte" (employment company) and manages all the small services that can be provided to the people of Lodévois and tourists passing through.

There is the concierge service which brings together the services that professionals will not do, eco-mobility, i.e. transport in the city, eco-responsible, the digital workshop based on support and not "doing for". He and his team are in charge of the community composting facility in partnership with the Lodévois and Larzac community of communes, and he supports events such as the Résurgence festival.

Since October 2023, the educational farm "1,000 blades of grass" has been part of Abeille verte. Activities on the farm or outside, in leisure centres, take place. An explanatory flyer has been published for the public.

The employment-oriented company in Lodève is the largest in France, and has the largest number of employees.

The social project, aiming to eliminate unemployment through local action, was established in Lodève, presented to the municipality by a citizens' movement: everyone can identify with it as a resident. To achieve this, the Local Employment Committee had to bring together around the table all the partners linked to job deprivation.

Employee on selected time

"It was the first time that everyone had come together to provide solutions“, remembers Pierrette, an EBE employee. The TZCLD association (zero long-term unemployment territory) has been certified at the national level for a period of 5 years in 10 territories. The city of Lodève was accredited in 2022. Currently, 162 employees are hired on permanent contracts at the minimum hourly wage and at chosen time: they choose the number of hours they want to work, but it is the management team that sets the schedules.

To apply, you must have lived in Lodève for 6 months and have been unemployed permanently or partially for 1 year. This allows volunteers to obtain a decent salary. The concept of chosen time allows single-parent women to return to work.

The EBE is a springboard. Any employee of the company can do a trial period in another company. If this does not lead to a job, they will find their place again. There is no job interview, no CV is required. Training is offered. "Lodève is a model of what degrowth can be", concludes the employee.

The project is not a national scheme, but a territorial and societal project.

Midi Libre correspondent: 06 31 85 56 57

I subscribe to read the rest