In Cape Town South Africa, a remarkable Green Map project is underway. Led by the City’s Sustainable Resource Specialist, Arne Purves, and his design partner, Philip Todres of A & C Maps, this three year old project is soon to publish the fourth edition of the Cape Town Green Map. Wanting to share more about their successful approach with other municipalities, we interviewed them in June, 2012.

Green Map: Why are you making both printed and interactive Green Maps?

Cape Town: To reach different and wider audiences.

The print map is aimed at reaching locals but also visitors to Cape Town and surrounds, highlighting its unique location and biodiversity, while also promoting responsible tourism. The distribution to locals is directed through libraries, nature reserves, schools and events. Availability at Visitor Information Centres, which includes Cape Town International Airport, targets the tourists. read more »

OK so this is my first attempt and I am just starting tonight. Holy moly what a cool journey this will be. So many things to choose from and alot of great resources. Onwards and upwards

The '4BsHive' is a transnational project between four river cities: Bristol (UK), Berlin (Germany), Budapest (Hungary) and Bistrita (Romania). The project set in motion a collaborative, green map-making process within and among these four European partners:

• Querspur-Verein zur Förderung soziokultureller Aktivitäten mit dem Medium Video (Berlin, Germany)
• Asociatia Ascendent (Bistrita, Romania)
• GreenBristol Ltd. (Bristol, UK)
• Tudatos Vásárlók Egyesülete (Budapest, Hungary)

The 4BsHive project started right after a Grundtvig Preparatory Visit in early 2009. After two years of numerous adult learners mobilities and green mapping workshops, the 4BsHive project ended in July 2011. You may learn about all common and local results at the European Shared Treasure database.

One of our greatest result is a documentary video, which highlights scenes from the study visits and the workshops in each of the cities involved. We also created an electronic booklet entitled “The 4Bs’ Green Mapping Guide”read more »

A preocupação com a sustentabilidade desperta interesse na comunidade acadêmica e sociedade, no que tange à assimilação de práticas que objetivam elevar qualidade de vida das atuais gerações e, primordialmente, das futuras.
A cidade de Curitiba apresenta uma política pública que contempla as questões relacionadas ao desenvolvimento sustentável. Ainda assim, nota-se que avanços são necessários no que diz respeito a intervenções (principalmente no meio estudantil) para fomentar o exercício da sustentabilidade.
As oficinas do Mapa Verde Curitiba se inserem nessa trajetória. Constituídas em parceria entre a UFPR e a ONG norte-americana Green Map©, a qual tem o objetivo de mapear os elementos da ecologia urbana, relacionados à boas e más práticas da sustentabilidade, atendendo ao lema: “Pense Globalmente, Mapeie Localmente”, adaptado de uma recomendação da Agenda 21 (ECO92, 1992). read more »

The concern about sustainability has risen interest in the academic community and society, when it comes to the practices aimed atimproving the quality of life for current generations and, primarily, for the Future ones. The city of Curitiba has a public policy that addresses issues related to sustainable development. Still, it is known that improvements are needed with regards to interventions (especially among students) to encourage the pursuit of sustainability.
The Curitiba Green Map workshops fall in this trajectory. It is organized through a partnership between UFPR and American NGO © Green Map, which aims to map the elements of urban ecology, related to good and bad practices of sustainability, given the slogan "Think Global, Map Local," adapted from recommendation of Agenda 21 (ECO92, 1992).read more »

“Ethics” is a good example of a term people use all the time without knowing the word’s origins. Of course, not everyone needs to be an expert etymologist, but sometimes it is interesting—if not, revealing—looking into such matters. “Ethics” comes from the Greek word ēthikos, which can convey a number of meanings familiar to us: morals, customs, principles, etc. But most of these words in modern times have taken a somewhat inappropriate connotation. Nowadays, these words have come to signify all the stern sets of duties one must adhere to, sometimes in the face of competing, though often completely natural, inclinations. Ethics force us to think about and ultimately comply with what is truly the “right” way to live. read more »

Global Mapmakers, why do YOU Green Map?

It's been almost ten years since I began collaborating with the Green Map System. Lately several people have asked me why I have been so passionate and persistent about this project, so I've decided to share my reasons here:

1) Promote Access to Resources

I had taken my background in architecture, urban planning and education into a new iteration through an Open Society Institute Community Fellowship to map youth resources in Baltimore. I quickly realized that people were unaware of resources mere blocks from where they lived and had a generally negative impression about city youth. So began my search for effective ways to communicate knowledge about existing resources and about the positive actions young people were taking to improve their neighborhoods. For the past decade I've explored different ways to mobilize the Green Map icons to expand knowledge and to Map the Positives! read more »

[Versión en Español abajo]

When we moved to central Mexico four years ago, one of our main objectives was to remake our lives following a more sustainable model. We moved into an off-the-grid straw bale house in the countryside outside of San Miguel de Allende and started making it into a comfortable, ecological home. While we searched for and eventually found things like organic foods, worms for composting, and solar equipment we met many people with similar goals and began sharing sources. Working with Green Map Systems gave us a framework to publically share this information. Green Map San Miguel / Mapa Verde San Miguel (http://GreenMapSanMiguel.org) is a bilingual online map, directory, and event calendar for sustainable living in San Miguel de Allende. Recently, our local government committed to making San Miguel a greener, more sustainable city, and we are ready to help with the Green Map.read more »

One of my goals for Green Map Denver is to try to go to every business on the map because there are so many places I have never heard before starting this project. I am no stranger to Colorado as I spent my four college years in Boulder a seaming world away from Denver. I moved to Denver in May of this year after spending sometime in Washington, DC where I became an avid city walker. Having a car in Denver is not a must have but is very useful in the cold snowy days in the winter. I have not really bother to learn my way around by another route than a bike until recent cold weather set in October.read more »

整个10月，我们和新干事一起开展了学校的绿地图制作。在整个制作过程中，他们都表现得很好，很有激情。

单单
制作green map感想：
制作完绿地图才发现光有思想是不够用的我们还需检验思想是否能运用于实际。所以小平同志那句“实践是检验真理的唯一标准”一点都没错。因此我们从刚开始的美妙设想逐步沦为平凡。由此也可以看出在日常的生活中我们必须细心观察身边的事物，积累经验即自然给我们的形象美。
但是，毕竟这是我们第一次，如此青嫩的我们，会经过一次次的训练逐步成长！read more »

"The Green Map project really does remind us that the local efforts do add up to world-wide change. Its website presents a complicated, global endeavor in clear and elegant simplicity."

Margaret E. Seip, AICP/PP
Community Planning & Development
Montclair, NJ USA

We are progressing, and everyone is very impressed with your invention – bravo!

...Nicola Furey, Grand Saconnex Green Map project (near Geneva) August 2007

Congratulations, greenmap has so much going on! It is so great to see a leap into online tools etc.

...Renate Foks, Breda Green Map and soon, Småland Sweden!

Before the Craik Green Map was even completed, I knew that version 2 would be a necessity. Almost a year later, only a handful of maps remain, and there is a growing list of new "green" features to add to the next map.

From my new home in the area, I can see a young family breaking ground for an off-grid studio and home. The hemp processing mill is still slated to be constructed this fall. YouthBuild, an organization to help engage and train youth who have left the public system, has set up shop. An international school plans to develop facilities and programming in the area and begin classes this fall, focusing on entrepreneurial skills and sustainable living. In rural Saskatchewan, where a dozen schools are closing this year due to declining populations, this is a BIG DEAL. read more »