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About Us

About Us

Mission - Vision - Values

OVERVIEW

The library of things is an easy, obvious and necessary solution that allows the sharing of goods and materials that are not often used. Thanks to an online inventory, each user can borrow in a few clicks and reserve in advance more than 3000 objects available in our premises.

OUR MISSION

We would like to

•Fight against consumerism, which destroys our environment and perpetuates an unjust economic and social system

• Reduce the consumption of goods and resources and, therefore, the extraction of limited natural resources and the production of waste

•Be a friendly, respectful and inclusive environment to welcome people without any discrimination

• Create social relationships and rediscover a sense of solidarity and mutual aid

OUR OBJECTIVES

We aim to

• Create a network of stations (branches) to effectively serve the greatest number of neighborhoods and communities in the canton of Geneva

• Establish an offer for professional training and to professionalize the service

• Promote projects with similar values

• Be a stimulating place of co-creation for the society, a relay point for social economy and solidarity networks 

• Offer a reliable sharing services

• Reduce social inequalities by making objects accessible at a modest price

• Convince 10% of the population to use sharing services

OUR VISION

Creative and solidarity communities that respect planetary limits

We aim to fight and raise awareness against rampant consumerism that compromises our environment and perpetuates an unjust economic and social system.

BORROW - USE - SHARE

OUR VALUES

La Manivelle is above all a human adventure!

La Manivelle is a place of life and conviviality, respectful and inclusive, without any discrimination. The project aims to create social links and to rediscover a sense of solidarity and mutual aid.

PROXIMITY

To make the lending service easily accessible to everyone, we create spaces of trust and conviviality in the neighbourhoods where everyone is welcome.

DURABILITY

By promoting mutualisation/cooperation through the sharing of everyday objects, we contribute to reducing the extraction of raw materials, curbing industrial overproduction and reducing waste production.

SOLIDARITY

Through sharing, La Manivelle allows people with a small budget to access objects easily and at affordable prices. Our project also provides opportunities for people to get involved through volunteering and offers training and job placement.

TRANSPARENCY

La Manivelle is a non-profit cooperative with ideal goals. Accounts and projects are created with members and borrowers. The cooperative wants to be a model and would support any collective that would like to replicate a library of things in their city/neighbourhood on the concept of open source.

About Us

The Team

ORGANISATIONAL CHART

MAIN ACTORS

Among the many people who generously contribute to the existence of La Manivelle, here are those of whom we have found a photo:

Robert (Partnerships)

Robert is the founder, coordinator and the driving force behind the project, La Manivelle.

Contact him at robert@manivelle.ch

Aurélien (Training)

Aurélien is currently in charge of the library, he is the one you will see during the opening hours and who will welcome you warmly. After a 6-month internship with us, we continue the adventure together with great pleasure!

Contact him at aurelien@manivelle.ch

Yannick (Maintenance)

If you have a broken object, do not worry, our repairman Yannick will be happy to help you get it working again as much as possible. You will find him at the Café des Possible in the district of Étang in Vernier.

Contact him at yannick.jakob@manivelle.ch

Solen (Communication)

Solen is in-charge of the communication at La Manivelle and she is inviting you to check us out in our social media accounts: on Facebook, on Instagram, and on TikTok!

Contact her at solen@manivelle.ch

Aneta (Administration)

Aneta is our administrative manager. She works mainly in the back office and make sure that La Manivelle runs smoothly.

Contact her at aneta@manivelle.ch

MAIN ACTORS

Among the many people who generously contribute to the existence of La Manivelle, here are those of whom we have found a photo:

Robert (Partnerships)

Robert is the founder, coordinator and the driving force behind the project, La Manivelle.

Contact him at robert@manivelle.ch

Aurélien (Training)

Aurélien is currently in charge of the library, he is the one you will see during the opening hours and who will welcome you warmly. After a 6-month internship with us, we continue the adventure together with great pleasure!

Contact him at aurelien@manivelle.ch

Yannick (Maintenance)

If you have a broken object, do not worry, our repairman Yannick will be happy to help you get it working again as much as possible. You will find him at the Café des Possible in the district of Étang in Vernier.

Contact him at yannick.jakob@manivelle.ch

Solen (Communication)

Solen is in-charge of the communication at La Manivelle and she is inviting you to check us out in our social media accounts: on Facebook, on Instagram, and on TikTok!

Contact her at solen@manivelle.ch

Aneta (Administration)

Aneta is our administrative manager. She works mainly in the back office and make sure that La Manivelle runs smoothly.

Contact her at aneta@manivelle.ch

CONTRIBUTORS

But, La Manivelle would not be what it is without its collaborators, who are now engaged in other adventures.

Sophie

Sophie, one of the backbones of the project, joined us in the first eight months of the adventure. She took care of tasks as diverse as accounting, administration and many other things.

Martin

Martin brought La Manivelle to version 2.0 by developing the new website as well as a tool to facilitate the inventory of objects. But it’s normal, he’s on the Internet!

Catarina

During a fruitful collaboration, Catarina helped us to professionalize our communication. She designed our new graphic charter, created our new logo and developed our editorial line. She also developed the communication strategy on social networks.

Dimitri

Dimitri “the artist” is a pearl of ingenuity and initiative. Assigned to the computer works at the beginning of the adventure, he moved and created another library of things.

Daniel

Daniel animated our website and social media in 2022.

About Us

Why La Manivelle?

In doubt, come and let’s explain

The library of things is first and foremost a project run by citizens for citizens; its usefulness is based on the following observations:

Problems
Solutions by La Manivelle
There is no need to own individual items that are rarely used
An occasional loan via the library of things is possible
Space in homes to store equipment (tools, camping, sports, etc.) is often limited
Storage via the library of things saves space
Tools and equipment must be maintained to function properly and have an optimal life span
Professional maintenance by the library’s technician (or partners) contributes to a better functioning and a longer life span of the objects
High cost of materials
Borrowing from the library saves money
Some people want to be able to share more with others, especially to better understand how to use certain tools
The library of things provides information on how to use objects, and offers a place to share knowledge and know-how, to meet and exchange

3 Important Axes

La Manivelle's action is centred on three axes: community, ecology and economy.

COMMUNITY

The cooperative functions mainly thanks to its community and its participation, and the commitment of its members. For instance, the General Assembly is the supreme body that collegially defines the catalog of objects.

ECOLOGY

By sharing objects, we contribute to reduce our consumption and thus preserve resources and avoid waste. In addition, all the items in the catalog are donations!

ECONOMY

The best way to save money and use an item at your own pace is to share it. It also saves plenty of space!

About Us

They Talk About Us

On the Media

The cooperative, La Manivelle, is an innovative project, active in the ecological and citizen transition that aims to change the society. Sharing, solidarity, simplicity, ecology, economy, proximity, autonomy... values carried out by La Manivelle are numerous and widely shared by the population. We are delighted with the very positive reception given by the press to announce the opening of the library of things.

What they say...

Guides, Associations & Others

Guides

• Guide de la consommation éthique, livre ▶

• Guide sur la consommation responsable, canton de Genève ▶

 

Cantonal

• acheter de façon responsable, Ville de Genève ▶

• Programme national sur l'économie circulaire ▶

 

Associations

• Carte des ateliers de réparation sur le canton de Genève, GE REPARE ▶

• keep in use, site romand de don d'objets ▶

• Eco-Citoyen, accompagne les familles dans une multitude de domaines ▶

• Les artisans à vélo ▶

Awards

About Us

F.A.Q.

Une question? On-y répond !

Tu peux trouver sur cette page les questions les plus fréquemment posées. Si tu ne trouves pas ta question ici, contacte-nous.

OTHERS

WHAT HAPPENS IF I BREAK OR LOSE AN ITEM?

You have the choice of replacing it or paying the replacement fee.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

HOW DOES IT WORK?

It's very simple: you can create your account online or on site. Get a subscription. And you’re ready!

CAN I BORROW OBJECTS ON SITE WITHOUT A RESERVATION?

Of course you can! You can create your account and get a subscription on site.

MEMBERSHIP FEE

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

We offer two types of subscriptions: monthly (20 francs) and annual (100 francs). For those with tight budgets, the prices are reduced to 10 francs and 50 francs respectively.

OTHERS

WHAT HAPPENS IF I BREAK OR LOSE AN ITEM?

You have the choice of replacing it or paying the replacement fee.

MORE QUESTIONS?

Still looking for an answer? Contact us directly by phone or click the button below.

About Us

Documents utiles