Heritage

In 2024, the Human Impacts Institute launched a Green Map project that placed youth leadership and community storytelling at its core. Through the Youth Speak Out! fellowship, 12 young people (primarily from underserved neighborhoods) received training in creative climate communication and collaboratively built a Green Map highlighting over 100 local climate and cultural initiatives across Marseille.

From Green Map: Although this project took place more than 20 years ago, it's still a unique application! Read more about the outcomes below from our board member, Barent Roth.

Charting Forgotten Spaces: This particular project was in some ways an outlier for Green Map – set in a Catholic Church on a block of Harlem (East 129th Street) which the NY Times had designated as the “most hopeless” in all of New York City and investigated by young people who were hoping that their findings would inspire some accelerated positive change in a neighborhood which had not experienced much of that in their short lifetimes.

High school students help shine a light on various projects on this park-like island

Originally called the Green Apple Map, this New York City project was the the very first Green Map! About 25 editions have been created at either the citywide or neighborhood level. It has impacted the world by creating an example that sparked the Green Map movement.It gave New York City a chance to be known for all the sustainability practices its home to, and gave New Yorkers and visitors the ability to get started on a greener pathway or career.  It's been central to the director's eco-design practice and gave Wendy Brawer access to to collaborations, appointments and travel worldwide.

Our Connected! Green Maps raised awareness of the amenities inside major parks, along trails, and in surrounding neighborhoods, emphasizing the unique local assets, history, opportunities to learn and take action, and the symbiotic relationship potential. Check out the Passport we created earlier, too!In 2014, we contributed to the book, Green Map Impacts.  We also undertook many 'Green Map Your Community' projects with youth.Provided by Janet Felsten, Feb 2025