2007 Wrap Up!

If you cannot read this or see links below, please click: http://www.greenmap.org/greenhouse/en/node/3109

What a year!! We’ve accomplished many of our dreams and plans, from the re-launched GreenMap.org and the complete updating of our mapmaking resources to our new look and outreach package to exciting new mapmaking partners worldwide. 2007 was the year our movement spread to its 50th country, impacting over 435 diverse communities throughout the world. Now, there are over 330 published Green Maps – each is an action-generating process, a guide and inventory, an authentic expression of community character, a record of change and a perception-changing landscape of hope.

Green Map System has received wonderful accolades, including this recent email:

“Those maps are absolutely incredible!  It's truly inspiring to me that a firm of your size can positively impact hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people. My hope is that Green Map's influence will continue to grow and that even more local communities will benefit from what you do.” David D, NYC, 12/6/07

Thank you, David, we could not do it without the contributions of people like you, donated through our website or by making purchases in our Store or directly supporting the wishlist of a local Green Map project. Contact us with your comments and ideas, as well as questions about tax-deductible donations and sponsorships or mail them to Green Map System, PO Box 249, NYC 10002. Our year-end letter explains more about the ways Green Mapmaking impacts ecological health, climate care, social justice and security across many nations, motivating more people to act for the common good.

However, at the same time, we’re seeing that far too many people and communities have yet to connect, so we’re doing even more to ensure that hopeful sustainability-related activities and models are shared with the broadest possible audience. Therefore, development has begun on the Global Green Map, an interactive open multilingual world map that will connect people of all backgrounds with local sites, routes and resources for sustainable living.

Scheduled to go live in mid-2008, this Google Map-based compendium will display the full range of green living, nature, social and cultural sites already appearing on hundreds of published Green Maps alongside those contributed by our global content partners and the public. Using open source tools and Green Map System’s award-winning iconography, the Global Green Map’s sites, green ratings and discussions, images and translations will be configured for multiple websites, mobile phones, on-site markers and other formats. It will encourage diverse participation that counters climate change, supports vibrant biodiversity and addresses local social and cultural challenges. Every usage will help guide the community’s newcomers to more sustainable everyday choices, encourage longtime residents to get involved with their communities in new ways, provide visitors with best practice models to bring home, and motivate decision-makers to act for the common good.

Help us develop, build and popularize the Global Green Map. Click to preview a short video or slideshow. We foresee an astonishing opportunity to support the emerging green business and localization boom with the Global Green Map – with your involvement as a content partner or sponsor, we can make a world of difference! Contact us anytime at info@greenmap.org or +1 212 674 1631, or through our donation page.

Everyone at Green Map System’s global office in New York – Wendy Brawer, Risa Ishikawa, Carlos Martinez, Reina Mito, Thomas Turnbull, Courtney Wolf, Yelena Zolotorevskaya, Bob Zuber and our Board of Directors wishes you the best for the solstice, season and year ahead.

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