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Can you feel the temperature rising..?
Our project is warming up! After a productive and eventful spring, we're now ready to unveil the fruits of our labour - the ECHO APP, as well as new educational content for you to view and download!
In this issue, we're also highlighting the many activities of our Ambassadors. Whether it's inspiring stakeholders or students, we can count on you! Soil health is an issue which affects everyone, without exception, so we're glad to keep extending our reach! |
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Taking valid soil samples can be quite an adventure. That's why we created the ECHO App - your pocket-sized companion on the journey towards a healthier Europe! The app will guide you through the entire process, as well as provide a forum for you to interact with and learn from other participants of our project. Download the app using the buttons below. We can't wait to work with you! |
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Need a good summer read? |
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Our website is now bursting at the seams with new content for you to download. We've prepared everything you need to fully understand and enjoy the process of taking soil samples. Whether you prefer English, Romanian, Greek, or any other of our Partners' languages, check out the step-by-step Instructions, the detailed Field Protocols and the Citizen Science Factsheets, which will give you an additional explanation of everything we're doing. |
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This is our favourite part! |
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Besides using the ECHO app, filling out surveys and doing very scientific things, like measuring the soil’s pH content, taking a soil sample for our project will require you to get close and personal with the subject of your analysis! Yes, go ahead and get your hands dirty! While assessing your soil's condition, you'll have to touch it, feel it and roll it into different shapes. As you can see in these pictures from the University of Hohenheim, taking a soil sample can awaken childlike enthusiasm in all of us, regardless of our age! |
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16500 samples? No problem! |
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All around Europe, there are soil enthusiasts like you and me, waiting to get their hands on one of the ECHO soil kits!
Well... your wait is over! Our kit distribution system is now in full swing. We've recently had the pleasure of testing the equipment in luscious Italian soil. Once you get your ECHO kit, remember to tag it with #ECHOSOILKIT, so we can see all of you in action! |
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Is your soil ready for a close-up? |
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On our YouTube channel, you can now find a playlist dedicated to the process of taking soil samples. Each minute step is demonstrated by our experts! Whether it’s measuring the pH content of your soil, or preparing a valid sample for further testing in the lab, our videos will guide you through! |
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New horizons for Citizen Science |
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The 2025 edition of the "Convegno Nazionale. Nuovi orizzonti per la Citizen Science in Italia" focused on advancing Citizen Science initiatives across Italy. The event brought together researchers, citizens, policymakers, and organizations to discuss innovative approaches, recent developments, and future directions in engaging the public in scientific research. The conference also highlighted successful case studies from various regions, emphasizing the growing importance of inclusive and collaborative science in addressing societal challenges. As big believers in the powers of citizen science, we couldn't miss it! Riccardo Borgia was there to represent ECHO and gather a new crop of soil enthusiasts! |
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Cheers to the decision-makers! |
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Brokerage Extremadura 2025 is a unique European event dedicated to promoting research and innovation collaborations to tackle new European challenges. It gathers research institutions, companies, public entities, and stakeholders from across Europe to showcase regional expertise, explore future R&D trends, and foster networking for Horizon Europe projects.
Thank you, Manuel Pulido Fernández, for attending Brokerage Extremadura 2025 and highlighting the ECHO project! |
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Reaching new depths! |
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On June 3rd, our Ambassador Marzena Brodowska met with students from the Agricultural Education Center School Complex in Sandomierz-Mokoszyn, representing the latest generation of soil enthusiasts. She introduced them to ECHO and participated in some hands-on fieldwork. The students learned about our toolkit and the soil sampling process at ECHO, and they also had the chance to observe a remarkably large soil cross-section created during a recent construction project on the school grounds. Luckily, when collecting soil samples for ECHO, you won't need to dig that deep! |
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Meet the family! |
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The ENABLS initiative aims to foster networking and collaboration to promote transdisciplinary dialogue and integrate Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) into universities, vocational schools, the professional sector, and society at large. Their goal is to mainstream biodiversity and NBS education through innovative, relational, and applied teaching methods, with a focus on collaboration and a Whole Institution Approach—where universities serve as their own Living Labs. Ultimately, ENABLS seeks to facilitate transformative change in communities, business practices, and lifestyles to address urgent sustainability challenges. We couldn’t agree with this mission more! |
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