Green Map Blog

Carlos Martinez in the News!

Wendy at Green Map — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 17:46:11 -0400

Carlos Martinez, Green Map System's Latin American Liaison and Office Manager, became a US citizen today!

This Colombian-born environmental administrator was also in today's New York Times, thanks to his healthy green habit of bicycling to work, then bringing his bike inside to store safely at the office.

As reported by Colin Moynihan:

" When Carlos Martinez bicycles to work in Manhattan from his home in Jackson Heights, Queens, he must ride along Northern Boulevard, a broad and busy thoroughfare, before crossing the Queensboro Bridge and heading south on Second Avenue toward the East Village.

It is a commute that few bicyclists would relish.

But when Mr. Martinez gets to his office on East Fourth Street, where he works as the Latin American liaison for an environmental group called Green Map System, he becomes the envy of riders across the city. That is because the office building allows him to bring his bike upstairs and stash it in a walk-in closet alongside bikes belonging to three or four co-workers.

“It’s one less problem for me,” Mr. Martinez said. “At least I know my vehicle is O.K., so I’m pretty sure I can get back home safely.”

It may seem like a simple sentiment, but having a safe place to store a bike at work is an urban amenity..."

enjoy the rest of the New York Times article about the difficulty commuters have parking bikes at work here!

Congratulations to Carlos, and thanks to all Green Map staff and Mapmakers worldwide who use bicycles as an everyday vehicle for social change!

(thanks to Gottfried Haider, too, for shooting this portrait!)

OpenGreenMap

La Roche sur Foron — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:40:32 -0400

L'OpenGreenMap du Pays Rochois est commencée!!!! Pour l'instant, seuls quelques site sont inscrits. Demain 8mercredi 2 juillet) une réunion est prévue pour développer tout ça! En attendant d'avoir plus de site, l'OpenGreenMap est encore "privée" et sera ouverte prochainement au publique. Ce n'est qu'une première étape. A la rentrée, nous iront voir les responsables locaux des communes du Pays Rochois pour avoir leur soutien et concrétiser sur une carte papier la Carte Verte du Pays Rochois. En attendant, voici un aperçu de l'OpenGreenMap du Pays Rochois:

Mapmakers share a sustainable vision at CUexpo 2008

Green Map System — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:41:25 -0400

Last month, the University of Victoria in Canada held the third CUexpo08, the Community-University Exposition 2008. The traditional territory of the Coast Salish First Nations welcomed participants from North America and special guests from all around the world. This event was co-created by the Green Mapmakers in British Columbia.

CUexpo08 was a great opportunity to showcase exciting community-campus reserach and action initiatives from different countries. Some of the thematic areas were knowledge exchange, sustainability, poverty, housing and homelessness, healthy living, climate change, community economic development, social economy, food security, arts based activism, Aboriginal leadership in research.

Green Map System staff from the global headquarters and Green Mapmakers from Europe, North and Latin America organized The Local-Global Green Map Roundtable. In this pre-CUExpo08 open event, the Mapmakers themselves presented different community and Green Mapmaking experiences and results. Regional participants brought some wonderful ideas and experiences to the table, and many important insights were shared by this diverse group.

Also during the CUexpo event, the Green Mapmakers had the opportunity to share their unique projects, approaches, methodologies and impacts in several key lectures related to community and sustainable development.

The program included:
- A Global Overview on 461 projects in 50 countries! by Founding Director Wendy Brawer.
- Story-sharing from the Mapa Verde Network in Cuba, Latin America and Pan America and Local (Victoria and CRD) Mapmaking Projects.
- Overview of online mapmaking and the new interactive OpenGreenMap.
- Ways to get involved! Green Map Icons, Tools and Design Resources.
- Planning and Vision-Sharing for the Common Ground Mapping Network.
- Orientation to new UVic Community Mapping Supports.

Special thanks to the local mapmakers, presenters and organizers (Sarah Dickie, Maeve Lydon, Ken Josephson, Charles Burnett and Andrew Bateman) and to the Green Mapmakers of our global network (Wendy Brawer-NYC, US; Beth Ferguson-Austin, US; Max Goldstein, Sweden; Carlos Martinez, Colombia; Liana Bidart and Dely Velazquez, Cuba).

Some related blog post:
Community Mapping
Green Maps
How do you know where you are?

Open Green Map on a Roll!

Wendy at Green Map — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:00:05 -0400

Open Green Map is taking shape, as described in our June-July Newsletter - click here to read it (you can join the mailing list on our homepage).

Our Open Green Map team includes a great mix of developers, designers, outreach and education specialists, including (from left to right in the picture:) Miikka Lammela, Andrew Sass, Carlos Martinez, Thomas Turnbull, Gottfried Haider, Anna Krusic, Wendy Brawer, (not shown here:) Bob Zuber, Yoko Ishibashi, Yelena Zolotorevskaya, Lee Frankel-Goldwater, Maddy Goldfarb and Kathryn Podobinski.

Note that Anna is actually the Rockland New York Green Mapmaker. She is an Advisor to the Open Green Map and one of the first to create maps at OpenGreenMap.org. We so appreciate her, Janet Felsten of Baltimore, Max Goldstein of Stockholm, Cip Samoila of Romania and Hannah Clinch of Glasgow for their input to date. We also appreciate your contributions, as described below.

What is Open Green Map?

Merging open source and Google Map technologies, our award-winning iconography and local knowledge, Open Green Map will:

Highlight, describe and link thousands of places worldwide that are making progress toward sustainability from a green living, natural, cultural and social perspective.

Create a platform to communicate about diverse, hopeful or challenging sites, so that everyone can discuss, rate, update, illustrate and share the impacts each site has had on individual and community green choices.

Provide ways to share the Open Green Map in other websites though widgets, be used on mobile phones, and other data sharing platforms, etc.

Provide online resources for local map team development and communications.

Invite massive participation, and grow Open Green Map’s potential to help thousands of communities, individuals and decision-makers act for the common good.

Currently we are readying the Open Green Map for its debut to current Green Mapmakers in July 2008. We are tentatively planning the public debut in September.

How can you help?

Today, making a donation to Green Map System is a great way to support this effort! Contributions can be made online or by mail. We are also able to receive tax-deductible donations in the form of transferred stock or by bank wire. Does your company match your charitable contributions? Do you have unique sponsorship or other funding ideas for us? We'd love to hear from you!

We'd love your involvement in adding to the Open Green Map, too, a bit later this year! Watch for updates here or in our preview site OpenGreenMap.org!

Green Maps in Expo Zaragoza 2008

Green Map System — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 14:24:53 -0400

Expo 2008 is an international exposition where countries, non-government organizations and private companies gather. This year the main topic is Water and sustainable development. The thematic squares are: Thirst, Cities of water, Extreme water, Water and energy, Shared water, Aquatic inspirations. This global gathering will be held from June 14th to September 14th in Zaragoza (Spain), and our Japanese friends from Green Map Aichi (which formed around EXPO 2005) will be representing our growing movement.

The pavilion El Faro will be the gathering spot for NGOs around the world. July 17th is Green Map Day, leaded by Green Map Aichi. The stage program will include Green Map video clips from Cuba and Asia, Icon games, music, gifts and a new Spanish slideshow presentation, which you can view here:

Green Maps is an inspiring initiative for communities, businesses and decision-makers. Some great examples of Green Maps that have focused on water issues are:

The Meadowlands Green Map, New Jersey, US
Produced by New Jersey Meadowlands Development Commission, a state regional agency, this friendly Green Map features parks and trails, landfill resoration sites, wetlands and waterbodies, along with all of the open space planned for preservation in the district.

Santa Monica Pier Kid's Green Map, California, US
This youth project focuses attention on a variety of critical resource issues including understanding ocean life, coastal water quality and public health, polluted storm-water runoff and illegal dumping, water conservation, the importance and biology of watersheds and a sense of belonging to a larger community with common environmental concerns.

China Mangrove Conservation Network
CMCN is a grassroot NGO that promotes mangroves conservation. They have carried out the China Mangroves Protection Project over the past five years and Green Maps have been an essential part of this outstanding project that have worked in mangrove growing provinces.

Dubai Info by Series of Articles

Dubai Green Map — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:43:23 -0400

I will start to periodically feed this blog with series of articles filled with information about Dubai, aiming to eventually touch on the environmental issues, trying on one side, to highlight the importance and beauty of this unique city, and on the other side, to provide Dubai Green Map project with a backup of database, information and facts, about the city's natural, cultural and green locations, address the sustainability matter, and increase public awareness of the necessity to care about Dubai and preserve its environment.

Articles will include information and facts that are gathered from different resource, which will be stated respectively.

According to Wikipedia – The free encyclopedia, Dubai page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai - says:

Dubai

Dubai (in Arabic: دبيّ‎, transliteration: dubaīy) is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and is one of the country's main cities, sometimes called "Dubai City" to distinguish it from the emirate.

The modern emirate of Dubai was created consequent with the formation of the United Arab Emirates in 1971. However, written accounts documenting the existence of the city have existed at least 150 years prior to the formation of the UAE.
Dubai shares legal, political, military and economic functions with the other emirates within a federal framework, although each emirate has jurisdiction over some functions such as civic law enforcement and provision and upkeep of local facilities. Dubai has the largest population and is the second largest emirate by area, after Abu Dhabi.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi are the only two emirates to possess veto power over critical matters of national importance in the country's legislature. Dubai has been ruled by the Al Maktoum dynasty since 1833. The emirates' current ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is also the Prime Minister and Vice President of the UAE.

A majority of the emirate's revenues are from trade, manufacturing and financial services. Revenues from petroleum and natural gas contribute less than 6% (2006) of Dubai's US$ 37 billion economy (2005). Dubai has attracted world-wide attention through innovative real estate projects and sports events. This increased attention, coinciding with its emergence as a world business hub, has also highlighted human rights issues concerning its largely foreign workforce.

Etymology

In the 1820s, Dubai was referred to as Al Wasl by British historians. However, few records pertaining to the cultural history of the UAE or its constituent emirates exist due to the region's vocal traditions in recording and passing down folklore and myth. The linguistic origins of the word Dubai are also in dispute, as some believe it to have originated from Persian, while some believe that Arabic is the linguistic root of the word.
According to Fedel Handhal, researcher in the history and culture of the UAE, the word Dubai may have come from the word Daba (a derivative of Yadub), which means to creep; the word may be a reference to the flow of Dubai Creek inland.

Facts & Statistics

Country: United Arab Emirates
Emirate: Dubai
Incorporated (town): June 9, 1833
Incorporated (emirate): December 2, 1971
Founder: Maktoum bin Bati bin Suhail (1833)
Ruler: Sh. Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Crown Prince: Sh. Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum
Government Type: Constitutional monarchy [citation needed]
Emirate Area: 4,114 km² (1,588.4 sq mi)
Metro: 1,287.4 km² (497.1 sq mi)
Population (2008): 2,261,995
Density: 408.18/km² (1,057.2/sq mi)
Nationalities:
42.3% Indian
17% Emirati
13.3% Pakistani
9.1% Arab (other)
7.5% Bangladeshi
10.8% Others
Time zone: UAE standard time (UTC+4)

Posted by: R. A. Sanam
Jun 24, 2008 - Dubai, UAE

Congratulations on the Shimata Green Map!

Green Map System — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 16:45:38 -0400

Green Map System is pleased to recognize the Shimata Green Map, which is now featured among the collection of Green Maps from all over the world. Thank you and congratulations to the project leader, Yuko Shiraishi and her pupils at Shimata Elementary School. We also appreciate Yuko's blog entries on their map-making process (in Japanese!).

The large map is very nicely hand-crafted and reflects the students' care in researching their community. An accompanying booklet provides a well-written description and photo of each site in this collage of both pleasant and hazardous places in the area. We are glad to hear about the elementary school students rediscovering what their district has to offer as well as presenting ideas about what they would like the future to be.

We look forward to hearing any changes that your team brought to the community. Great job!

Read their Mapmaker Profile here

島田グリーンマップ完成！

島田小学校、白石先生と生徒の皆様、島田グリーンマップをお送りいただきましてどうもありがとうございました。いただいたマップは世界のグリーンマップの一部として大切な資料にさせていただきます。また、進捗状況のブログに掲載されていたマップ作りの話し合いや問題点の克服、達成感の分ち合い、楽しく拝見させていただきました。

同送の「ちょうさカード」についても地図同様とても丁寧に作成してあり、大変わかりやすかったです。ブログにもありましたが、生徒さん達自ら問題点を見つけ、未来のあり方を考える機会ができたことは地域のためにとても役に立つことと思います。

今後ともご活動、成果についてのニュースなど楽しみにしております。

Open Street Map Party at Green Map!

Wendy at Green Map — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 12:37:43 -0400

As we are developing our social mapping website for sustainable communities, the Open Green Map, we are meeting more developers of open technologies.

OpenStreetMap.org is an exciting example of a free geographic resource. It's a kind of wikipedia for maps - a free editable map of the world, and anyone can add roads, bike paths and other geographic data to it. Around the world, many are contributing to it. In some places, mapping parties are being held to spur the collection of data.

Green Map System is pleased to provide the venue for NYC's first open mapping party, hosted by OpenStreetMap's initiator, Steve Coast, at our global office. Steve says:

"We run mapping parties which are events where anyone can come along, we lend a GPS and show you how to go out and do some mapping and get the data in to openstreetmap. They are informal events with no explicit time commitment and often a social element / beer afterwards".

So, see you at Green Map Saturday June 28, 10am-4, or Sunday June 29, 11am-2. Turn up at any point, but the earlier the better.

Where: Green Map System's location is 220 E 4th Street, between Avenues A & B in Manhattan's East Village.

More about the specific event:
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/New_York_City

Background:
openstreetmap.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OpenStreetMap
http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/index.php/FAQ

T-shirts and more: Get Inspired!

Roaring Fork Valley Green Map — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:53:43 -0400

Hi Mappies,
Has anybody made a Green Map t-shirt out there? I don't see any in the Store on the homepage.
thx,
jason white carbondale, co, usa

The Living City of Santiago Green Map

Wendy at Green Map — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:07:47 -0400

I recently took my first trip to South America to celebrate the launch of the Santiago Green Map and it was full of happy surprises. The first came as I entered the freshly renovated historic building that houses Ciudad Viva (the Living City). Bright blue, it harmonizes with the colorful streetscape of the Bellavista neighborhood that was saved from freeway construction by Ciudad Viva’s director, Lake Sagaris and many of core members and board.

Right away, the staff gathered to present me with the first copy of the map! I was surprised by the scale of this map, which is actually a boxed set with 5 two-sided folded maps and a book about their four key topics of green living, active transport, heritage and civil society. Beautifully designed, these maps chart the city at large scale and invite the public to add more sites by calling the project Version Zero!

Later that day, we had dinner with Guilherme Peirão Leal, the president of the natural cosmetics company, Natura, who sponsored the Green Map’s publication and my trip. Joined by Pedro Villares and Guto Pedreira, respectively their heads of Latin American and Chilean operations as well as their sustainability program director and others, I found out how they are inspired by the Ashoka social entrepreneurship program to encourage many kinds of initiatives to thrive. We discussed their ingredients, packaging, fair trade practices etc and how their network throughout Latin America might be able to help Green Mapmaking spread. Especially with the forthcoming Open Green Map and tools like our Mapping our Common Ground book soon to be published in Portuguese, there are many possibilities! One group we’d all like to involve is the street recyclers, common in large cities everywhere, who understand the value of resources and do much to keep the environment clean despite their low status. What would they put on the Green Map?

We all met again for the morning’s press conference, an exciting panel discussion and presentation of the Santiago Green Map at the Contemporary Art Museum. I was thrilled to see the large banners and huge map on the floor, which just a few hours later had notes all over it, added by the hundreds of community members who came to celebrate the launch. A short film, live music and Green Maps made a lively mix! And, the Version Zero concept was already taking hold – and plans for community focus workshops and classroom usage will follow immediately.

Indeed, the very next day, many gathered in the bright blue building to plan more. We created an evening event with Mauricio Broinizi, director of Nossa Sao Paolo Brazil, a flourishing community indicators project to see how we all might work together, too. We enjoyed seeing a bit of the city and meeting with some of the leaders of related projects and networks, then went to the coastal port city of Valpariso to encourage both the development of indicators and Green Map projects there. The old center has recently been declared a World Heritage Site, and many community artists and design professionals are working hard to protect and restore its special ambiance and local color.

All too soon, I was on my way back to NYC, happy to be bringing a box full of this wonderful new Green Maps and connections to new friends and supporters in the distant south of the Americas. With so much to learn from one another, I hope the gathering we are starting to plan for late 2009 gels! Let us know if you are interested in this capacity building work or other expansion plans mentioned in this blog.

Read our Press Release:
Santiago Chile's Success Story and Open Green Map Preview (OGM_Santiago_ES.pdf)

Read the Press coverage:
Lake Sagaris, la gringa que le hizo un Mapa Verde a Santiago by Raúl Morales R., Las Ultimas Noticias, Chile, 2008
Experiencia de Mujer: “Uso ropa de segunda mano y no me pongo maquillaje” by Jessica Ramos V., Terra.cl, Chile, 2008
Mapa Verde de Santiago registra casi dos mil sitios de recreación by Daniela González, La Tercera, Chile, 2008
Santiago ya tiene su propio Mapa Verde, Manos Mágicas, Chile, 2008
“Mapas verdes”: uma visão mais sustentável da cidade by Aline Moraes, Repórter do Futuro, Brazil, 2008

Green Apple Map at Youth Fair

Green Map System — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:01:53 -0400

Trinity Church Partners held its annual Youth Fair last week. "Being Green" was the theme for this year and Green Map System's Green Apple Map project and staff members Yelena Zolotroveskya and Carlos Martinez were invited to present a workshop introducing youth Green Mapmaking resources (including the Energy and Environment Exploration Modules) with students and teachers from local high schools. Green Apple Map is the local New York City project of this global non-profit organization, and is designed both to benefit New Yorkers and develop new approaches that could be adapted in other cities.

Joanna Wu, a student at Leadership and Public Service High School and Trinity's intern said in her welcoming speech: "We would like to take this opportunity to spread awareness on global warming. What you do each day effects the environment so take this time to educate yourself on how to be green."

The participants received the Powerful Green Map of NYC, the Compost Map of Manhattan, an organic cotton t-shirt, C.F.L light bulb, and recyclable water bottle. They were also introduced to the forthcoming Green Schools Green Map. Youth and education events have taken centerstage this month at Green Map System!

Special thanks to Joanna Wu, Leon Johnson and Anita Chan from Trinity Church Partners, a program of the Trinity Church Wall Street.

On TV: the Pikes Peak Colorado Green Mapmaker

Green Map System — Tue, 27 May 2008 12:11:02 -0400

KOAA-TV (an NBC affiliate) covered the story of Kelly Sparks, the Green Mapmaker of the Pikes Peak Region and its new local online resource for this Colorado USA community.

Read the story here:
Online resource takes you to what's "green" in Colorado Springs

Watch the video here:
Video Story

Some screenshots of the story

Top Ten Celebration at Green Map's Office

Green Map System — Thu, 22 May 2008 11:49:53 -0400

Last night at our global office in New York City, Green Map's staff and board celebrated the generosity of our friends and supporters who responded to America's Giving Challenge and made our non-profit a Top Ten winner!

At the party, our OpenGreenMap interactive mapmaking website was previewed and got the attention from different groups. We still want to hear what you think about this inclusive new global project-in-progress that was seeded by hundreds of small Giving Challenge donations. You can post your ideas or comments in the Collaboration Blog

We also introduced the updated Green Map iconography and the first maps that use the Version 3 such as Bucharest Romania, Victoria BC Canada and Baltimore Maryland. We also shared some of the newest resources we offer for youth and citywide Green Map projects, locally and globally.

Refreshments were kindly provided by Angelica Kitchen, Brooklyn Brewery, the Sixth Street Community Center, Amy Fortunato and others.

Where's Wendy - Spring 08

Wendy at Green Map — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:57:15 -0400

As Green Map’s Director, I am occasionally invited to project launches and opportunities to present Green Map to different audiences. This spring, there have been many!

Starting in mid April, I traveled to Bucharest Romania, where Goodartofnoon Cultural Association’s dynamic young team published their first Green Map following a year of intensive development. With 100,000 copies and a great distribution plan (thousands will arrive with the national newspaper, which committed to a green column each week for a year; within the Romanian edition of National Geographic along with an 8-page article; and though the city-wide Museum Night), there’s much excitement about expansion and inclusion. I helped develop their schools Green Map project and the team’s outreach effort.

Then, I met with Susanna Iraci of O2 Italia and together, we made headway on the Milan Green Map project. I presented our work at the 20th Anniversary of the O2 Global Network and sparked fresh excitement amongst this group of eco-designers who helped initiate the global Green Map project in 1995.

Next stop – the EcoCity World Summit, a terrific gathering of planners, community developers and practitioner from many corners of the globe. Green Mapmakers San Francisco, Mid-Valley Colorado and Tokyo had some great discussions and our two presentations were well-received.

I took a short break in NYC, where we welcomed our new trainee from Finland, Miikka Lammela, whose presence was made possible by CDS International. He joined the OpenGreenMap development team for the summer. With thanks to departing spring interns, Dru Hara, Akiko Rokube and Ana Isabel Lagos, we also prepared to welcome summer design interns Yoko Ishibashi and Andrew Sass. Special thanks to my dear husband, Ray Sage, for his support during this hectic season.

Shortly, I was heading to Victoria BC with Carlos Martinez, our office manager and Latin America Liaison, To quote May’s Green Map Express:

Ten years ago, I met Maeve Lydon of Victoria BC’s Common Grounds/LifeCycles project and Beth Ferguson, then a Hampshire College student, in Havana at a conference on the ethics and culture of sustainable development. It was there, too, that the seeds of Green Mapmaking were planted in Cuba, soon to be cultivated by Liana Bidart Cisneros and a network of biologists and educators at Centro Felix Varela.

A reunion took place at the Community University Expo hosted by the University of Victoria, Canada. A host of remarkable Green Map outcomes were presented, including 113 diverse Mapa Verde Cuba projects; a dozen Green Maps published in the Victoria region along with a new project base within UVic’s Office of Community Based Research; and Beth’s ongoing youth resources development with Green Map System and her creative lino-cut Austin Texas neighborhood map. Our thanks to everyone at UVic, as well as the Canadian, Swedish and Colombian Mapmakers who took part in five Green Map presentations and helped our Latin American network development planning move forward!

After a brief respite among family and friends and a quick meeting with Seattle’s Mapmakers to discuss the project’s potential re-start, held in parallel with Beth’s workshop with interested folks on Vashon Island, I headed south again. Thomas Turnbull, our head technology developer met me in San Francisco, where we are taking part in the Where 2.0 locative technologies conference and drinking in zillions of open source and pragmatic resources and people that we believe will prove tremendously useful as our work-in-progress on the inclusive interactive mapmaking resource, OpenGreenMap takes shape.

I’m grateful to be learning so much from so many people and initiatives along the way. While I have racked up far too much CO2 (which I will offset), but have shared many important moments with amazing people who care deeply about the future we all share. Thanks to all! Wendy

Learn Green NYC Youth Forum

Green Map System — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:25:54 -0400

Learn Green NYC is a new coalition of sustainability professionals in education, design and enterprise in support of youth engagement, healthy learning environments and community-based approaches to low impact, high quality living. Green Map's Director has been part of the coalition since the very beginning!

Last week, Learn Green NYC hosted an invitational event for NYC youth and concerned adults at Teacher's College Columbia University, as part of the Schools, Food and Community conference sponsored by the Baum Forum.

This Youth Forum was the first of a series of Learn Green NYC programs to engage youth as community sustainability leaders throughout the city.

Carlos Martinez and Thomas Turnbull of Green Map System introduced our youth mapmaking resources, including the forthcoming Green Schools Green Map and the recently released suite of 6 Energy & Environment Exploration Modules designed to help students utilize the community as the classroom. While both of these Green Map projects are being piloted in NYC, the goal is to create global versions to benefit cities, towns and villages everywhere. We appreciate the insights contributed by the youth and adult participants in April 2008! Get involved by clicking the links in this paragraph and taking the survey on the Green Apple Map website.

"Green Map Impacts---Green Map Changes Communities" Published!

Green Map Japan — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:24:23 -0400

"Green Map Impacts" focuses on various kinds of case studies which gave "Actual impacts" or "Influences" on communities by making Green Maps. These unique case studies were picked up from Japan and the world.
We hope that it is one of the most useful tool in your Green Map activities.

Book Title: "Green Map Impacts--Green Map changes the community!"
Format: A4 size, 40 p. full colored
Language: Japanese (It will be translated into English)
Publisher: Chubu Recycle, Inc.
Planning & Editing: Green Map Aichi + Green Map Japan, Inc.
Cooperation: Green Map System, Inc.
Audience:
Existing map makers, city planners, community leaders, or people who want to work for the community....
Inquiry: Green Map Japan, Inc.

Contents:
-Impact on Eco-Action
-Impacts on Children & Youth
-Impacts on Community
-Impacts on City Planning
-Impacts on Public Policy
-Impacts on Nature Protection
-Impacts on Traditional Culture
-Impacts on CSR
-Other Unique Impacts
-Impacts on Networking

「グリーンマップ・インパクト」発行！

国内をはじめ今や世界50ヶ国、450都市に広がっているグリーンマップ作りですが、実際にはどんな変化や影響をもたらしているのでしょう。
グリーンマップはプロセス重視の活動です。地図を完成させたら終わりということではなく、その地図作りのプロセスを通して、「周囲にどんな影響を及ぼしたか」「どんな変化があったか」に目を向けることは、大変重要だと考えています。何故なら、グリーンマップは持続可能型社会を実現するためのすぐれた道具だからです。
「グリーンマップ・インパクト」は、グリーンマップ活動が地域や人々に与えた影響や変化に視点を置き、国内・海外からユニークな事例を収録しました。完成した地図を見るだけでは伝わらない、多様な可能性をこれらの事例から感じて頂けることでしょう。地域の環境をよりよくしたいと考える人々の心を動かし、市民活動のヒントに満ちたこの冊子をどうぞお役立て下さい。

「グリーンマップ・インパクト」--グリーンマップは地域を変える！
・A4フルカラー、40ｐ
・内容：
-エコ活動--Impact on Eco-Action
-子どもたち--Impacts on Children & Youth
-コミュニティ--Impacts on Community
-まちづくり--Impacts on City Planning
-行政との協働--Impacts on Public Policy
-自然保護--Impacts on Nature Protection
-伝統文化--Impacts on Traditional Culture
-企業--Impacts on CSR
-その他のユニークなインパクト
-ネットワークインパクト
-万博インパクト
-参加するには
-アイコン第3ヴァージョン完成
・発行・編集：グリーンマップあいち・グリーンマップジャパン
・協力：グリーンマップシステム（NYC本部）

お申し込みは、「グリーンパップインパクト希望」と書き、グリーンマップジャパン事務局までどうぞ。

Baltimore Green Map website is launched!

Baltimore Green Map — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:39:43 -0400

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Baltimore Green Map introductory website at www.baltogreenmap.org. We are using 48 of the V3 icons and presenting all an opportunity to Nominate a Site. An interview with Wendy Brawer and me (Baltimore Project Director) will be aired on our local public radio station in time to be part of the Baltimore Festival of Maps. We'll post that as soon as available. Thanks to Wendy for years of encouragement and to our hero Thomas for responding so quickly to suggestions as we deployed the beta Online Green Map as part of our site.
Janet

Testing the new OpenGreenMap

Rockland Green Map — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:10:31 -0400

We have started to add sites to the OpenGreenMap! Exciting to be part of testing this new G R E A T initiative.

See you out there in cyberspace!

We will not make a paper map after all. Maybe a poster for display and PR, but the rest will be webbased.

Please send us comments, here or on www.rocklandgreenmap.org!

Thanks
Anna

Green Maps in Ode Magazine

Green Map System — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:13:54 -0400

Ode is a print and online publication about positive news, about the people and ideas that are changing our world for the better.

Diane Daniel on the April 2008 issue of Ode Magazine features our Green Map movement. "If you’re searching for a green oasis in urban Jakarta, Indonesia, or a place to compost your banana peel in lower Manhattan, a Green Map can show you the way."

The magazine is on the newsstands now or click here to read the online version.

Jerusalem Environment and Nature Conference

Jerusalem Green Map — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 06:40:46 -0400

A one of its kind environmental conference (18-19 May 2008) is taking place in Jerusalem initiated by the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, and supported by the Jerusalem Municipality, The Ministry of Environmental Protection and a variety of other bodies.

The two day event will bring together national and international speakers to discuss a range of pressing environmental issues, and examine Israel's current environmental situation.

The Jerusalem Green Map will be well represented at the conference with computer work stations to enable visitors to search the website (Hebrew and English), unique tours "in the footsteps of the Jerusalem Green Map", Green Map Systems material on offer and more!

For more information go to http://www.aspni.org/pdf/jmconf_0508.pdf
or http://www.teva.org.il/?CategoryID=649&ArticleID=2438&Page=1