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Fir d'Participanten

Nimmt Dir deel oder iwwerleet Dir et? Léiert méi iwwer Är Roll bei ECHO!

ECHO: how to participate?

The Project opens to participants starting from the spring of 2024.

Starting from spring and summer 2025
Join ECHO through your local Ambassador

Starting from Spring 2025, ECHO opens up to Citizen Scientist participants in the following countries: Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Scotland, Spain.

To join, reach out to your local ECHO Ambassador.

Not sure how to find your local ECHO Ambassador? Reach out to us via social media or email us!

May 2025 onward
Download the EchoSoil App

Download the EchoSoil app to your phone from Google Play Store (Android) or Apple Store (iOS).

Spring, summer, or autumn 2025
Receive your ECHO Toolkit, conduct soil sampling

Your ECHO Ambassador will hand you or send you a Toolkit containing everything you need for soil sampling (details below!)

Plan and conduct your soil sampling once you're ready. Remember to take your mobile phone and a bottle of water with you!

Please remember to fill in the survey in the EchoSoil app before sampling. Some time after sampling you will be asked to fill in the survey again, so please don't delete the app after sampling.

Within 2 weeks of soil sampling
Return your soil sample to your ECHO Ambassador

Return your soil sample to your ECHO Ambassador. They will send it to us for further processing.

After collecting your soil sample, store it at room temperature.

Within several months of soil sampling
Via the EchoSoil app
Fill in the post-participation survey

Several months after soil sampling, we will remind you to fill in a post-participation survey. We use it to find out how the project impacted you, your understanding and/or attitudes towards soil health. This will be done via the EchoSoil App.

View results of sample analysis

Collected data will eventually become available through ECHOREPO, a long-term repository of soil data. You will be able to find your own soil sample and see how you have contributed to the project.

Early 2026
Second Open Call for ECHO Ambassadors in more countries

The Ambassadors Program will become available in more countries:

France, Slovenia , Austria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Czechia, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

Follow us on social media to receive regular updates!

Spring 2026 onwards
Workshops, recruitment, soil sample collection, analysis, and results for all countries in the Second Open Call

Starting in January 2025, ECHO will start recruiting Citizen Scientists in additional countries (France, Slovenia , Austria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, Czechia, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). Consider signing up, whether you are a soil health enthusiast, a student (high school and university), or a community member.

The Citizen Science Toolkit

Explore the tools of the ECHO’s citizen science toolkit! This all-inclusive kit is designed to empower you to contribute to valuable environmental research. Inside, you will find: clear and detailed instructions to walk you through each step of the citizen science journey, a shovel for soil sampling, a variety of containers to store and analyse the soil samples, pH evaluation strips, and sterile gloves for better sample handling. With these tools and our user-friendly app, you will become an essential member of the ECHO citizen science initiative, helping to deepen our collective understanding of the environment. Happy exploring!

Buedemprobenahmekit: wat ass dran?

  1. Precise guidelines for conducting soil sampling activities
  2. Protective gloves to be used during the sampling procedure
  3. A metal shovel for soil sampling
  4. A wooden spoon for soil handling
  5. A plastic container for measuring soil sample pH
  6. Paper strips for measuring soil sample pH
  7. A plastic container for collecting soil samples for biodiversity analysis
  8. A small biodegradable plastic bag for collecting soil samples for heavy metal analysis
  9. A large biodegradable plastic bag for storing both soil samples to be returned

Soil health indicators

As a citizen scientist, you will learn about many indicators used to assess soil health:

  • Presence of pollutants, excess nutrients, and salts
  • Soil organic carbon stock
  • Soil biodiversity
  • Soil nutrients and acidity (pH)
  • Vegetation cover
  • Landscape heterogeneity
  • Forest cover
  • Structure and texture

D'Prozedur fir d'Buedemproben

Choosing the sampling site

Sobald Dir Äre Toolkit hutt, kënnt Dir erausgoen a Äre perfekte Standuert fir eng Buedemprobenahm auswielen.

If you don’t have a site selected yet, consider one of the following: your garden, your vegetable patch, your field or orchard, a nearby meadow, a city park, a community garden, a lawn by a children’s playground, a nature trail, a forest, a patch of green by the road. Make sure the location you choose is safe (watch for car traffic!)

Get familiar with the process

Click the button below to view the full playlist with instructions.

Watch now
Choosing the sampling site
Soil pH value
Soil Biodiversity

E puer Proben huelen

Wann Dir verschidde Proben hëlt, oder wann Dir Deel vun enger Grupp sidd, déi verschidde Proben hëlt, sollt Dir Iech verdeelen. Dir kënnt datselwecht Gebitt probéieren, mä probéiert d'Probenahmeplazen, wann et méiglech ass, op mindestens 50 Meter Distanz vuneneen ze halen. Vergiesst net, datt Dir fir all Buedemsproof e separaten Toolkit braucht.

How to get started

Ambassadors

Mellt Iech haut HEIals Ambassadeur un, oder follegt ECHO op de soziale Medien, bis d'Umeldungen an Ärem Land op sinn.

Citizen Scientists

Reach out to your Ambassador and ask them how to get started. If you don’t have an Ambassador yet, download the EchoSoil app and use it to connect with an Ambassador.

Trainingsmaterialien

You can get familiar with the procedure even before sampling. Download training materials in your preferred language to get started.

Download EN

Factsheet EN

Field Protocols EN PRINT

Field Protocols EN

Structure Chart EN

Texture Chart EN

Download FIN

Factsheets FIN

Field Protocols FIN PRINT

Field Protocols FIN

Structure Chart FIN

Texture Chart FIN

Download DE

Factsheets DE

Field Protocols DE PRINT

Field Protocols DE

Structure Chart DE

Texture Chart DE

Download GR

Factsheets GR

Field Protocols GR PRINT

Field Protocols GR

Structure Chart GR

Texture Chart GR

Download ITA

Factsheets ITA

Field Protocols ITA PRINT

Field Protocols ITA

Structure Chart ITA

Texture Chart ITA

Download PL

Factsheets PL

Field Protocols PL PRINT

Field Protocols PL

Structure Chart PL

Texture Chart PL

Download PT

Factsheets PT

Field Protocols PT PRINT

Field Protocols PT

Structure Chart PT

Texture Chart PT

Download RO

Factsheets RO

Field Protocols RO PRINT

Field Protocols RO

Structure Chart RO

Texture Chart RO

Download ES

Factsheets ES

Field Protocols ES PRINT

Field Protocols ES

Structure Chart ES

Texture Chart ES

ECHOREPO now available for participants View your samples in ECHOREPO, the data repository