In Toulouse, halls to “gather around the ecological transition”
It is with a smile and contagious energy that Mélanie Moresve visits us. At 7 rue du Canon d’Arcole, the work is practically finished at the end of September. The 450 m2 of the former dance studio now house the Halles de la Transition, which bring together various uses. A large all-wooden space, where you can drink organic beers and taste local products, especially on Sundays during a brunch. A grocery corner, where you can buy, among other things, a few spreads. A library area, in partnership with Liblab, “Toulouse library for ecological transition”. A garden, where to eat and debate, and a digital detox room to relax and meditate while smelling the smell of incense.
But the Halles de la Transition are also a place of work, with a space that can be privatized for seminars and, above all, a coworking area with eight fixed workstations [1] and other nomadic posts. To come and work there, however, it is necessary to have “a job related to ecological or social themes”.
But if you just want to have a look around, you don’t need to be eco-friendly. “We want the place to be as open as possible [2]. We want Les Halles to host around twenty events a month,” hopes Mélanie Moresve. Screenings, a book club, radio broadcasts and DJ sets are notably on the program. The objective: to “federate associations” at the forefront of ecology while “bringing together” as many people as possible. “This type of encounter creates emotions. These are vectors of the transition”, nicely sums up the co-director of the third place.
It was Chloé Cohen who was the first to join the project after a trip to Australia where “she had a click” when she discovered an equivalent place. Back in France, she wanted to create a concept close to Toulouse, the city of her business school studies. Mélanie Moresve, in the same quest for meaning after studying digital commerce, was seduced by the idea and joined her this year to support her in this adventure.
Fundraising in sight
The two associates of the Halles de la Transition also provide environmental advice to businesses. “We go from the carbon footprint to support to redefine a more ethical business plan. We can also simply do communication or events, but in this case it is for companies that already have an ecological or social impact. Like the association the Little Brothers of the Poor, one of our first customers. We don’t want to do green washing,” explains Mélanie Moresve.
The third-place project has already created quite a bit of enthusiasm. Proof of this is the success of its crowdfunding operation, with 26,500 euros retained on KissKissBankBank, well beyond the 15,000 euros requested. La Banque Postale, which has made Halles de la Transition “one of its favourites” on the crowdfunding site, also financed the concept to the tune of 7,700 euros, while Toulouse Métropole selected the initiative for its Address course, dedicated social and solidarity economy enterprises. Another satisfaction, jobs have already emerged from this initiative: a person manages the bar with a team of two collaborators at his side and two alternates this fall to support the duo of leaders.
In the coming months, they will embark on a fundraiser, surely with an ethical real estate company, with the aim of “duplicating the concept in several cities”, in Occitania and then in the rest of France. “The ecological transition must be done quickly, we cannot afford to wait a long time”, specifies Mélanie Moresve with vivacity.
Mathias Hardoy
On the photo: Mélanie Moresve and Chloé Cohen, the two founders of the Halles de la Transition, in Toulouse. Credits: Hélène Ressayres-ToulÉco.
Remarks
[1] The monthly subscription is 380 euros per workstation.
[2] Open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday.