ECOSProject: A Sustainable Future for Chittenden County

Last year, the community of Chittenden County, Vermont embarked on an important project: ECOS Project is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to engage citizens, organizations and municipalities in a conversation about the future of each one of the communities within this Chittenden County region.

ECOS Project is a three year plan guided by highly involved project partners, a large and diverse steering committee, state and local agencies, business leaders, non-profit agencies, and, importantly, the citizens of the region. The project received special funding from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development Sustainable Communities Project (with co-sponsorship from the EPA and U.S. DOT).

The project was designed to prioritize and implement regional sustainable community development initiatives. Throughout the five phase process, residents of Chittenden County have been invited to participate in events, via the interactive EngagingPlans website, and provide valuable feedback on steering committee documents that will be vital input in helping to shape the future of this region. The project addresses major themes and components of regional sustainability including housing, transportation, the regional economy, energy, environmental quality, and land use.  

Participatory Tools Help ECOS Project Collect Citizen Feedback

During phase one the project asked stakeholders to generate and provide feedback on Goal Statements, ending in late September 2011. The EngagingPlans software helped the ECOS Project team collect hundreds of statements from the community through an innovative document annotation tool. The structured community feedback collected this way provided detailed feedback and input to revise the statements.

Throughout each phase of ECOSProject, citizens of Chittenden County have been, and will continue to be invited to participate with community leaders and voice their opinions. Below are just a few of the many ways for community members have been involved:

• Follow and communicate with ECOSProject via several social media platforms.
• Join a Working Group
• Participate in Working Groups Round table discussions
• Speaker Series
• Site Visits and Field Events
• Art Events and Projects

ECOSProject leaders and community members alike, are eager to see the progress as the project continues to move through each phase.

Read more about ECOSProject >>