Green Map's Earth Month News

With signs of spring popping up everywhere and many 'calls to action' for Earth Day, Green Map System is especially busy with public events this season. We hope you will come see us in New York City or Washington DC, or participate in other events along with our global Green Mapmaking partners (see details below).

Growth Spiral!

The Green Map network has been expanding faster than ever this year. The number of newly registered Green Map projects has surpassed last year's first quarter count by 30%. Amazingly, we're on track to adding well over 100 projects in 2009!

The diversity of participants in Green Mapmaking is growing as well. Each is profiled in the Mapmakers section of this website, where you can follow their progress and link to Map Profiles, local websites, our list of participating communities and more.

In response to diverse needs and opportunities, Green Map System’s toolkit keeps expanding. The newest resources available to local leaders of Green Map projects include the Open Green Map social mapping platform-in-progress, new youth modules, and public engagement multimedia.

Open Green Map Launching June 5

We’re so pleased that Green Mapmakers around the world are taking part in our global Open Green Map launch celebration! It's on World Environment Day, so it seems especially fitting that we are having events on at least 5 continents!

So far, New York City, Cape Town, Geneva, Jakarta, Stockholm, Santiago, Pereira Colombia, and the UK towns of Clackmannanshire, Swansea and Neath Port Talbot have great plans in the works! Click GreenMap.org/ogm-launch for more details as things shape up. Watch our new video there too!

Our NYC event will take place on Friday June 5 from 6 - 8:30PM at the King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center, 53 Washington Square South in Manhattan. Our thanks to New York University's Sustainability Program and Bobst Library for their support. Join the party and bring a green site, comment or image to add to NYC's Open Green Map!

With over 3,300 sites and the first 43 maps to explore, the Open Green Map project is getting more exciting, day by day. Check out the assessments from press, Mapmakers and people using the maps - click here for Testimonials.

Give a Little Green

We’re part of Global Giving’s 'Give a Little Green' campaign! With your $10 or more donation through April 28, we can win an extra $1000! Click here to support our global effort or here to help us extend our work in China.

We're very pleased to welcome our newest Open Green Map supporter, the Surdna Foundation. With priorities in environment, community revitalization, effective citizenry, the arts and the nonprofit sector, this is an ideal foundation match for our work.

You can help our 14th year break records and energize more community greening worldwide by sending a tax-deductible donation directly to us. You will be making a great gift to the entire global Green Map movement and the millions who benefit around the world! Online or by mail, all the details are at GreenMap.org/donate.

Earth Month Events:

Watch our Blog for more events. Here are some highlights:

* Green Maps created by Towson University students collaboration with the Baltimore Green Map project will be included in the Baltimore Green Week Exhibition at Towson Arts Collective, opening on Friday April 24. Find out more from this recent article.

* On Thursday April 23, celebrate Earth Day with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and the Jerusalem Municipality, close to the Old City of Jerusalem. There will be a Jerusalem Green Map table and lots of information on hand. More about SPNI in Hebrew or English and recent article about founder Naomi Tsur.

* Green Map System will participate in several NYC events, including the Food, Farming and Active Living Youth Forum on Thursday April 16 at Hostos Community College in the Bronx, the Lower East Side's Go Green event on Allen Mall 6 (Saturday April 25) and the Bike Month Kick Off at Queens Museum of Art (Sunday April 26). Find details at GreenAppleMap.org/page/events.

* Once again, we have been invited to take part in the Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington DC, a special event hosted by the US EPA (near the eastern end of the Mall, close to the Capitol Building at 4th St). Meet Carlos Martinez, Program Director, and Myriam Noucier from our marketing team on: Saturday, April 18 – noon to 5PM, Sunday, April 19 – 9AM to 5PM, Monday, April 20 – 9AM to 3PM. On Sunday, Janet Felsten of the Baltimore Green Map project and other regional Green Mapmakers will be on hand. Sunday is also DC's Earth Day Fair on the Mall!

Upcoming!

* Help highlight bicycling on NYC’s Social Green Map by coming out to contribute sites, bike paths, resources and more at our office on May 26 from 4-7 pm. Find details at GreenAppleMap.org/page/events.

* And – save the date! Friday June 5, for the global launch of the Open Green Map! See GreenMap.org/ogm-launch.

At Green Map System, it's always Earth Day...Earth Month...Earth Decade. Let's all get involved!