What is an eco-column project?

An eco-column project is a small self-sustaining ecosystem housed in large soda bottles. Each eco-column has three parts. The first chamber is a miniature model of the earth (terrestrial chamber). The second chamber is made of leaves (decomposition chamber). The last chamber is filled with water to simulate a freshwater pond (aquatic chamber). Each chamber is then observed over 10-12 weeks. The purpose of the project is to observe how the different parts of the earth’s ecosystem work together and draw conclusions about what can affect them.