Ecological and friendly homes

In June 2008, a former private sector employee made the "great leap" and created his own company in Puy-en-Velay: Naturelhome. Convinced of the importance of really sustainable development, he went into ecological housing, planning from the outset to supplement his action with a social dimension.

Naturelhome operates in three areas: the construction of ecological woodframe houses, the manufacture of pre-assembled frame kits allowing the installation of very thick natural insulation, and the refurbishment of existing buildings. Organized initially as a corporation, the company received a subsidy from the DDTFP in January 2009 to become a workforce development agency, henceforth enabling it to combine ecology with outreach.

Fourteen back-to-work jobs created in three years

Naturelhome privileges tough, untreated wood, boards without formaldehyde glue, therefore having a smaller environmental and health impact, and insulations such as cotton wadding, wood fiber, hemp and straw. The young company has even filed a patent for its building kit, the Modulopaille.

Buoyed by this innovative dynamic, it wants to consolidate its commitment to workforce integration for persons in difficulty: long-term jobseekers, minimum wage earners, unskilled youth and handicapped persons. To help in this approach, it has applied to the Veolia Foundation to purchase the indispensable equipment it needs to expand its business. After having created two back-to-work jobs in 2009, it is committed to hiring four new employees in 2010 and eight in 2011. This figure could grow even faster considering the burgeoning taste for ecological construction.