Dreamed up during the summer Blackout of 2003, this Green Map was created to promote energy awareness and action in New York. It took us 2.5 years to complete it as we continually found more resources to put on the map. Published in February 2006, it encompasses three citywide views showing the impacts of our current energy choices, everyday and easy things you can do to conserve energy, and smart energy investments.
This map is designed for general audiences, who can find all kinds of useful information that will save money and resources at the same time. We have included a glossary of terms and images collected around town, celebrity quotes and online, there are resources written for Spanish and Chinese-speaking New Yorkers. At our website, you can also download an interactive PDF, a print quality version, and more.
We printed 100,000 free copies on recycled paper and expect to complete distribution in spring 2008. Copies can be picked up at Greenmarkets, libraries, conferences, community centers and at eco-events citywide and we continually fulfill requests for bulk copies every week. In summer-fall 2007, we'll be releasing curriculum tools for middle and high school students based on the Powerful Green Map.
If you would like copies by mail, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Green Map, PO Box 249, New York, NY 10002-0249 USA. Postage: 1 map for 69 cents, 2 for 83 cents. Or, order 2 copies for $5 including postage through our online Store with your credit card, and help support our work in NYC. You can also obtain a poster version though our Store http://greenmap.org/greenhouse/store.
We're pleased that it will be included in the mayors' packet for the 2007 C40 Large Cities Climate Summit - http://www.nycclimatesummit.com.
The map made its debut as the very first public event at The New School's new Tishman Environment & Design Center - http://greenapplemap.org/page/powernews. President Bob Kerrey and eminent educators including Jean Gardner and Joel Towers made wonderful comments and thousands of copies were taken for distribution citywide by audience members.
We've had many repeat requests for copies from a great diversity of organizations around and beyond the city.
Grist.org covered this map's story (http://www.grist.org/advice/books/2006/04/18/sprinkle/index.html) as has Treehugger.com (http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/02/new_green_apple.php) and NYC's own Waterwire.net (http://www.waterwire.net/News/fullstory.cfm?ContID=1805). It's been in newspapers including AM New York, Loot, Positive News, and in online publications like Meaningful Maps (http://diac.cpsr.org/cgi-bin/diac02/pattern.cgi/public?pattern_id=735)
We feel the map has made a timely contribution to the sustainability of NYC, arriving just as climate change awareness 'arrived' in NYC, based on the number of requests for copies.
One of the Powerful Green Map's 3 map views is about the everyday and easy things you can do to live greener in the city. We made this map into a separate PDF that can be adapted by other groups as a base map for their own event promotion or map. We made it in an easy print-out size for classroom use, too.
This map's theme has been of interest to many other Green Mapmakers. Thailand Environment Institute for example, was inspired to create "Cooling Our Cities by our own Hands", and work with 25 cities and local schools on energy-themed Green Mapmaking. This in turn has inspired our Fall 2007 curriculum module project for NYC schools.
Funding is always welcome, as are volunteers!
Press release, images, interviews, etc.
Thanks to our longtime supporters NYC Environmental Fund and Greenacre Foundation, and many other Powerful Green Map Supporters http://greenapplemap.org/page/aboutsupport
There are 19 pages of information composed on this map!
"I was impressed with your map, and would like 100 copies for our annual board meeting… promoting pedestrian friendly streets.” Barbara Adler, Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District
