From South Africa to the Americas, we’re on the news!

On Cape Town’s SAfm Enviro Show, host Nancy Richards interviewed designer Philip Todres on the wonderful Cape Town Green Map and Wendy Brawer about Open Green Map and progress in NYC on Thursday 5th Jan 2012. Both are linked here.

Carlos Martinez, formerly Green Map staff and now our Board Treasurer is creating radio segments for Radio Diaspora, a public affairs program on the issues and experiences of recent migrants from Caribbean and Latin America hosted by WRFG in Atlanta USA. This segment includes Campinas Green Mapmaker Leonardo Freire de Mello, along with director Wendy Brawer, Board member Thomas Turnbull and others on the Power of Maps. Enjoy! read more »

We are happy to share the good news that Open Green Map has won the NetSquared Invitational!

Green Map System is really thrilled that our little video has received lots of votes and the jury's support. This award comes with plenty of help for our social mapping platform's ongoing development in the coming months, which is really great because we have big plans!! Thank you voters, NetSquared, TechSoup, our staff and technical team as well as the Green Mapmakers who have now published more than 250 diverse Open Green Maps!read more »

It was a lovely day that day, warm sunshine , blue sky and gentle breeze. We arrived Shameen in the morning, after being divided into two groups, we set out to searching Shameen to make a green map of it.

Shameen’s beauty is beyong description. On each side of the roads stand considerable ficus of old age. Their hair roots were swaying in the wind, wishpering the long history of Shammeen to every passers-by. It seemed that the buildings just wake up from the bird-singing, and the time was as if still when you stared at them. I’t was sort of walking in an old photo.

There were visitors walking slowly, and sometimes they paused to take photos. Foreign children were playing delightedly with their parents. And what impressed us most was that couples shooting wedding photos could be seen here and there, which made us envy a lot.read more »

I think it to me, and to all the people of the workshop, November, 2011, 26 and 27 are memorable days. Because the two days, most of the people are the first time for full participation in the Green - Map drawing process. Attend the period, we learned a lot, thought a lot and felt a lot, grew many......

On the morning of 26th, our teacher——"Whale", a teacher from Taiwan Society of Wilderness brought and showed us many fine green-maps from all over the world. She gave us detailed introduction to the origin of the green-map and the development of it , and the differences between green-map and the general map , the green-map visit quartet (commentator, TaZha, drawings, share), rendering the purpose of green-map (environment education, community development, etc), green Icon and the story behind the green-map... read more »

December 13th is the 20th anniversary of a great idea!

I was with a group of New York activists at the United Nations, planning side events in New York during meetings leading up to the Earth Summit, which was held in Rio in 1992.

I thought about the individual’s experience during their 5 weeks in NYC – and realized a map would help people of all backgrounds discover signs of progress toward sustainability. I knew it was possible to make a fresh view of the city in a few weeks, and that it would be resource-efficient and fun!

That very day, I named the project the Green Apple Map and had 10,000 copies donated, thanks to the Municipal Art Society (Curitiba Brazil’s eco-innovations was their next exhibit and the Green Apple Map would highlight local examples). read more »

O projeto “MAPA VERDE SOROCABA Sociedade, Cultura e Meio Ambiente” começou a ser formatado em fevereiro de 2009 e foi aceito pelo GMS – Green Map® System em dezembro do mesmo ano com a denominação GM Sorocaba.

O “MAPA VERDE SOROCABA - Sociedade, Cultura e Meio Ambiente” é um produto cultural que permitirá ao usuário, cidadão ou visitante, a identificação e a localização de diferentes atrativos distribuídos pela cidade. Nossa previsão é mapear a 200 pontos no município.
Os atrativos, divididos em seis categorias, além de estarem identificados visualmente no mapa base da cidade, contam com uma ficha de identificação onde estão disponíveis: endereço e contato telefônico e/ou digital.read more »

We are pleased to announce the debut of three new videos highlighting our tools, engagement, and icons.

These short videos demonstrate how Green Mapmakers can guide communities towards sustainable living choices both globally and locally.

Special thanks to the videography team at Dedicated Lane – Allie Compton and Christopher Fenech – for creating these 1 minute videos using images and clips made around the world by Green Mapmakers. Feel free to share them with your friends, family, and community, or embed them in your website, blog, and presentations.

We’ve also embedded the wonderful hour-long documentary about “4BsHive” project, highlighting outstanding teamwork over the last two years by four European cities. Created by the noted German filmmaker, Bjela Probowsy, it’s really a delightful way to experience the process developed by Green Mapmakers from Berlin, Bristol, Budapest and Bistrita.

Find out more about this great project at this poston our website or at 4bshive.wordpress.com/ where you can download the terrific new 4BsHive Guide to Green Mapping, explore photos and much more.

Find more Green Map videos on youtube.com/greenmapsystem!

It is with great honor I received an environmental price for my 3 years of voluntary work with the site EkoBlekinge.se which is also home for Blekinge Green Map.

The motivation was that the site makes local environmental and sustainable projects visible and for the work with Green Map.

900 children in the region has participated and shared their thoughts on the subject "We will save the world". The result is a book with drawings, poetry and interviews on the subject which will be sold and the earnings is the award price. This enables me to put more work into the site and Green Map. That in combination with the publicity for EkoBlekinge.se will boost the visibility of local sustainable initiatives!read more »

Baltimore Green Map was invited to present Green Mapping as an example of "How Communities are Using Mapping Tools" at Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's October, 2011 Unleashing the Power of Local Data conference.

Participants had their laptops open for the interactive element, with time to explore Open Green Map.

We combined information from our own archives, OGM screen grabs and the Green Map-OGM Resources/promote section to put together a presentation that illustrated a diversity of map scales and strategies to collect information.

We also wanted to demonstrate full utilization of the OGM features More info, Comments, Multimedia, Impacts before turning participants loose to browse maps on their own. Those user input features are where "the power" and potential of Green Mapping resides. read more »

Janice Golding argues that Africa needs to cultivate environmental champions and high-thinkers who live by the heart, relate to the land and who can articulate an alternative indigenous environmental narrative to the western environmental neo-imperialism.

On continents that are colder and less giving than Africa, the fastest growing new mass religion is “Environmentalism”. Climate change and sustainability are its key drivers.

“Environmentalism” (also called “Going Green”) is an earnest lifestyle for it is fervent in the endeavour of reducing carbon footprints. Household examples are fruit and vegetable gardens, recycling, solar panels and the reduced use of motorised transport. But its safety net for personal well-being that is ensured by relatively prosperous economies makes this movement a holier-than-thou quest. This is because Going Green is not a fundamental necessity born out of poverty and survival as in most parts of Africa.read more »

One, regular activities
1, organization to the Department for children to a group to build the job, to form a whole; to map training, so as to make them into a state of;

2, continue to improve the Yao Hu campus map ( two ideas: 1, the picture into a update map; 2, will strive for this chart as a level 2012 neonatal guide map);

In 3, the year the Castle Peak Lake campus green map;

In 4, for in the proper time to Komsomolsk campus site check, for drawing the youth campus green map make preparations for;

5, strive for inside and outside the province and related community green map sector exchanges, cooperation;read more »

The Detroit Green Map team met in September to discuss goals and a plan for the future of Detroit’s Green Map. Folks involved in transportation, project planning, education, and art gathered at Marygrove College to represent the diversity of Detroiters.

We are in the middle of grant writing to fund the creation of a website and social media platform that will encourage Detroit residents to “be Detroitish” and celebrate the strengths and beauty of Detroit’s past, present, and future through participation in the Detroit Green Map. To lead off the grant efforts, the mission statement was dusted off and revised to reflect the new energy in Detroit.read more »

Table Mountain could be named one of the New7Wonders of Nature, an accolade that could generate up to 11 000 new jobs and an additional R1.4 billion in annual revenue for South Africa.

The only way to win is to steal the largest chunk of citizen votes from the over 1 billion people who will take part in the campaign worldwide. To win that honour Table Mountain needs to beat 27 other admired and celebrated sites such as the Islands of Maldives, the Amazon in South America, the Dead Sea in Israel and the Grand Canyon in North America.

The announcement of the seven sites on 11/11/11 (11 November 2011) will bring to a close a battle which has spanned more than three years.read more »

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.read more »

Entre os dias 03 e 07 de outubro realizam-se oficinas no campus Botânico UFPR: UFPR – Setor de Ciências Sociais Aplicadas Campus III - Jardim Botânico Rua Prefeito Lothário Meissner, 632. O Mapa Verde Curitiba é tema: dia 03 as 14:00horas(onde houve participação de alunos dos diversos campus da Universidade)e dia 05 as 19horas. Lembrando que a feira é aberta a toda comunidade!

Pense local, mapeie global!

It has been a very busy few months. The Cape Town Green Map team has just finished and printed its 3rd Edition of its Green Map. We even managed to get the City's Mayor to pose for the cover. Added to that we have redesigned our website layout and content structure, see Cape Town Green Map.

We also had two international interns join us for 3 months to assist with the project. Line and Mari really got stuck in and helped us with many aspects of the project, including our website redesign, a customer survey of all green sites, they held a small work group with green map participants and they also provided us with a project report on how we can improve our Cape Town Green Map Project.read more »

We are proud to share the news that the Open Green Map is a Winner of the first Victor J. Papanek Social Design Award!

As Victor's groundbreaking work helped to inspire the inception of Green Map System, we are delighted to be one of the four recipients of this prestigious new 2011 international award. Our Director will take part in the awards ceremony and exhibition opening in Vienna on November 9, followed by a conference celebrating the new Papanek Foundation. More details about the New York Design for the Real World Redux exhibit will be added here soon. read more »

As a Resource economics and Geography major at the University of Connecticut, I am very interested in mapping environmental and communal sustainability. Green Map System pursues this field with intelligence and commitment. I recently came in contact with Green Map System when I decided to direct the creation of a Green Map of my university, located in Storrs, CT.

During the summer of 2011, I am working as a summer intern at Green Map System. I enjoy working at an organization that diligently promotes environmental consciousness and sustainability.

Recently, the summer intern team has been mapping energy development in New York City. Thorough research has been done and many new energy sites have been added to our Open Green Map (which includes, among others, sites from the 2006 Powerful Green Map). The updated map will display certified LEED buildings, sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy sites, city parks and farmers markets throughout the five boroughs.

As part of my research, I have developed a guide that shows various energy maps of New York City. This guide contains maps that display the solar energy potential for every building in the city, such as the NYC Solar Map, developed in late June at the City University of New York. There are also maps that show the renewable energy potential for New York State, including Wind and Solar maps developed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. The new interactive Energy Green Map will debut during Climate Week (which starts on September 19).

In addition to the research I have been doing on renewable energy, I have also been working with Local Spokes to promote sustainable transportation, green infrastructure and urban design. Local Spokes is the Lower East Side/Chinatown Bicycling Coalition. I have put together a presentation for the Youth Ambassadors demonstrating Manhattan Island’s historical evolution and efforts to preserve and further maintain the natural environment.

Download the NYC Renewable Energy Guide

Download my presentation on Historical Evolution of New York City.

As soon as the new map debuts, a link will be added here.

Aaron Miller read more »

O método utilizado é o SEMEAR, da empresa NEOLABOR, um jeito de ensinar-aprender que facilita o envolvimento dos alunos com as mudanças tecnológicas e culturais que acontecerem no seu entorno. É um método eficiente de educação ambiental, cujo passo a passo reproduzimos:
Sensibilização: Sustentabilidade é um tema inter e transdisciplinar. A idéia é proporcionar situações que estimulem o aluno a ter vontade de participar ativamente do processo de aprendizagem, pois só mudamos quando queremos. Os estudantes são convidados a refletir sobre conceitos de sustentabilidade e têm o primeiro contato com o Mapa Verde, que pode ser projetado em apresentação.read more »

Barcelona, Spain is a city abundant in historical and cultural character, attracting a vast tourism industry. The city’s free, McDonald’s sponsored tourism map, Barcelona Tourisme, highlights many of these sites for visitors. However, ecotourism sites that advance Barcelona’s sustainability are left uncharted. Barcelona Green Map, now led by Petz Scholtus of Pöko Design Studio, seeks to change that.

Barcelona’s green resources were first charted on Mapa Verd in 1999. Led by solar engineer Josep Puig, hundreds of sites were plotted on the map. Since then, the city has advanced its sustainability efforts, including a bike share system that revolutionized sustainable transportation throughout the city. To share these resources with tourists, Barcelona’s Green Mapmakers have created an eco-advocating refinement to the thousands of maps distributed by McDonald’s. Using the existing Barcelona Turisme as its base, Pöko Design Studio created an overlay printed on transparent vellum (trace paper) that adds a layer of green sites to the free map available at the Barcelona Tourist Office. This provides tourists access to natural, cultural and green living resources, in addition to the sites on the underlying map. Barcelona Green Map also provides its sites with a window tag, identifying their inclusion on the Green Map and promoting them as sustainability sites. read more »