Vermont ECO AmeriCorps

ECO AmeriCorps provides participants an opportunity to shape a lifelong career in environmental conservation, while immediately placing feet on the ground in a fight for Vermont’s environment.

• About Us
  ECO AmeriCorps is a service corps created by the Vermont Department of Environmental Conservation to place members at service sites dedicated to clean water and universal recycling.
  
  We partner with local municipalities, conservation districts, solid waste management districts, regional planning commissions, and non-profit organizations on current efforts to implement strategies, provide outreach and education, and plan future interventions to improve water quality and reduce waste.
  
  Projects include:
  
  building green infrastructure
  restoring ecosystems
  outreach and education
  project planning
  mapping
  soil and water sample collection
  conducting urban tree inventories
  grant writing
  macroinvertebrate studies
  data collection & surveys
  and more...
• Our Impact
  ECO members serve on projects dedicated to improving water quality and reducing waste across Vermont.
  
  Why water quality?
  
  New guidelines around excessive phosphorus and other nutrient levels in the Lake Champlain Basin and other bodies of water means careful vigilance and the employment of best practices to reduce nutrient pollution at the source. Lake Champlain is a major economic driver for tourism and recreation and provides drinking water for 200,000 people living near it. Phosphorus and other pollutants are entering Lake Champlain via streams and rivers resulting in ecosystem degradation, drinking water threats, and recreational impacts. Toxic algae blooms could have serious public health consequences. Heightening awareness and concentrating efforts to mitigate the run-off will meet the ultimate goal of improving and maintaining water quality in Lake Champlain and continuing the high quality of life all Vermonters value
  
  Why Universal Recycling?
  
  It’s estimated that more than half of the materials we throw away could be recycled or composted, leaving our recycling goals unmet and wasting natural resources and contributing to climate change. New guidelines require recycling and bans the disposal of leaf and yard debris, clean wood, and food scraps by 2020. The increased capture of recyclable materials and a variety of meaningful alternatives for uneaten food and food scraps find value in materials previously considered waste, conserving resources and saving energy. Assisting solid waste facilities and haulers to increase their capacity for collection of recyclables and organic materials, and educating residents and businesses on the law, are vital steps towards successful implementation of Universal Recycling in Vermont.