Eco East is looking to get feedback from residents of Prescott-Russell to help the conservation group determine its future direction.

As part of the organization’s community engagement strategy, volunteers with Eco East have developed a survey and are inviting residents county-wide to participate in voicing their environmental priorities and concerns.

“This is a first-of-its-kind survey for Prescott-Russell,” explained Stephanie Marcil, a volunteer with Eco East. “We are reaching out to schools in the region, various organizations and environmental groups – we’re trying to go very broad with (the survey).”

Eco East will hold the official launch of the survey on Tuesday, March 29, however it has launched online and is available for completion here: Eco East Survey. The survey will be open until April 16.

Marcil said Eco East hopes to receive feedback from residents as well on what questions group members should pose to local candidates for the upcoming provincial election at a ‘town hall’ meeting to be held prior to the election.

“We’re hoping it will (provide information for) some conversations we want to have with political candidates for the upcoming elections,” Marcil said. “We’re hoping we can draw on some of this information to say ‘this is what the community is saying’.”

Eco East is a local volunteer-powered non-profit organization active in the United Counties of Prescott Russell (UCPR) in the areas of waste reduction, habitat conservation and regeneration, and climate action. The mission of Eco East is to lead the community towards a sustainable future for all through volunteer action, community partnerships and education by inspiring a love and respect of nature. The group is known for its local tree planting initiative, community dialogue sessions, green-business recognition program, and for working with the United Counties of Prescott-Russell in the development of a regional climate action plan.

“There are so many approaches we can take to protect our environment in Prescott-Russell – for our sense of community, our livelihoods and those of future generations,” said Lisa Deacon, President of Eco East. “We are really eager to hear what residents consider to be our biggest challenges, and our biggest opportunities.”

More information on Eco East can be found on the group’s Facebook page.