1,500 “echologists” in Mayenne
“We needed a quarry site flooded with very pure water. When we discovered Louverné, we stopped looking. It took us three and a half years to acquire the site – the seller was highly sceptical, the project too innovative, the project leaders very young.”
Vincent and Guillaume sold their houses, borrowed and begged from 36 relatives and friends to get the adventure started.
Accommodation, activities, entertainment, environmental techniques: the guidelines drawn up from the start gradually came to fruition always with the door open to innovations. “Echologia is a living organism that creates opportunities. Just like our “aquaponics” feature launched in 2017. The name didn’t even exist before we invented it, but by 2006, we had the an aquaculture and educational farm, a contained ecosystem combining plants and fish farming, which might one day solve problems of nutrition, and water and energy consumption.”
The development of Echologia has not been plain sailing. Its two creators need to encourage more people to come, appealing to families and groups: “While always adhering to our philosophy, we need to welcome more visitors, and get them to stay for longer, to bring them in from further afield. Echologia is the best illustration of the Slowlydays spirit of tourism in Mayenne – it’s back to basics in every sense of the word, with very strong human values.
Echologia -Louverne 
With the support obtained, good media vibes, and a strong visitor satisfaction index, the shared dream has become a lasting reality.
“Echologia is a great human adventure. We are proud to have mobilised 1,500 partners around us, schools, clubs, companies, institutions. From executives to volunteers, we have woven a web that represents the entire region. Everyone does their part, some bring money, others time. If we want our project to make sense, the support from the Mayenne people needs to be as broad as possible. We want to anchor Echologia in the DNA of Mayenne. “
Vincent Brault “As a fervent defender of respectful fishing, I recommend the little-known fishing spots in the north of Mayenne. It feels like you’re alone in the middle of nowhere and I love it. ”
Guillaume Beucher If you spend a week in Mayenne, you can make exciting discoveries every day within an hour’s journey. The caves of Saulges, the Robert-Tatin museum or the gallo-roman site at Jublains are all excellent, but you should also visit the more atypical places like Fontaine-Daniel, and the Jardins des Renaudies”
