Millennium EcoCommunities Oxford (MECO)

Millennium EcoCommunities is an Environment Canada initiative that was announced by the Honourable Christine Stewart, the Minister of the Environment, in 1998. The initiative promotes responsible environmental citizenship by encouraging local community participation in one or more of the program’s priorities: clean air, clean water, nature, climate change. By increasing the level of awareness about environment-enhancing activities and by providing a central registry of projects, contacts and potential sources of funding, the program hopes to increase the proportion of the population actively engaged in these activities. The Internet is envisioned as the hub of the program, providing information for those communities starting projects: www.ec.gc.ca/eco

The Millennium EcoCommunities Oxford Project (MECO) was initiated by John Finlay, Member of Parliament for Oxford, at a meeting of stakeholders in 1999. These stakeholders formed a steering committee and met several times to develop a list of project ideas that would result in Oxford County being designated a Millennium EcoCommunity. The Steering Committee members decided that the purpose of the Oxford County EcoCommunity initiative is to provide a framework to engage the community in activities which will improve the environment in Oxford County. The steering committee defined its role as one which "facilitates" participation in activities that improve the health of the environment.

This group suggested that a public meeting be held to collect additional ideas and to gather comments from a broader range of Oxford County residents. Over 50 people attended a community meeting held in April to discuss the project ideas in more detail. Meeting participants subsequently formed subcommittees to pursue specific project ideas and each subcommittee held meetings during the spring and summer of 1999. Based on further discussion and interest in each issue, the steering committee established two subcommittees: the Water Subcommittee and the Naturalization Subcommittee.

The MECO Subcommittees have produced two brochures and an exhibit about water conservation and naturalization (pdf files):

Current members include:

A J Baker Public School
City of Woodstock, Parks Division
Grassroots Woodstock
Fanshawe College
LaFarge Canada
Springbank Public School
Upper Thames River Conservation Authority
Woodstock Field Naturalists
plus numerous individuals from the local community

Visit the Communities in Bloom website!

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