Being in Scotland was so important to our organization and network! Although we wished for better outcomes from the United Nations COP26, we valued being able to meet with a wide range of current and future Green Mapmakers.
Our first blog included a scene from the workshop led by Cornwall’s Ecogeographers, and our COP26 page covers this time too. Now, let’s visit Dunoon, a historic gem on the Cowal Peninsula, west of Glasgow.
In Dunoon, Tacit-Tacit hosted Green Map System workshops with our technology partners, Alexandra Casapu and Bogdan Szabo from the GISCollective, Ann Kilmun from Dunoon Area Alliance & Dunoon Community Development Trust, Derek Rankine from SURF - Scotland's Regeneration Forum, and Dr. Stephanie Connelly from the University of Glasgow. It was terrific! Ariane Burgess MSP - Scottish Green Party for Highlands and Islands joined us as well.
As Hannah Clinch of Tacit-Tacit said "By bringing people together from different sectors, places and disciplines we hope to figure out how Green Mapping tools can be used to support #positivegrowth in Scotland, particularly in rural places. Thanks to Creative Scotland and SURF for backing this design research trip!" Our day together included experiencing this rainforest’s Glenan Wood and the Ark - a symbol of our world on the eve of COP26, and the following morning, to learn about the POP shop and its beach hut project, the Sea Level Rise marker and how it all connects to mapmaking.
Many thanks to Hannah Clinch and her beautiful family and community for this great experience. Followup is underway, and we’ll soon be able to share more outcomes from this intensively wonderful weekend.In Glasgow, the UN conference was underway and there were hundreds of events alongside. Neil Lovelock, co-creator of the Glasgow Green Map, was a speaker at the Prince’s Responsible Business Network, representing the community’s perspective. Later, we met with Ariane Burgess, our former neighbor in NYC and now Member of the Scottish Parliament, along with Christine Halvosen of Rainforest Foundation US. Ariane joined us at COP26’s Green Zone, along with Enid Trevett of Fife, who brought copies of the Kincardine Green Map to share. Now a Community Engagement Officer at the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, there was lots of common ground in our discussions. The Climate Clock reminded us daily of the work ahead!
The BBC produced this video about Green Map in Arabic! Although we don't have photos from our live workshop at COP26, our presentation of locally made videos underscored the solutionary climate actions that are designed into well planned Green Map projects from 5 countries - see it at bit.ly/GMatCOP26v
The Glasgow Green Map was visible in several ways - a partnership of Glasgow Eco Trust and the Stop Climate Chaos Scotland - Climate Fringe groups, it's featured on both websites, along with an easy way to add more places to the map - there are 275 places so far. The daily email blast included a featured place on Green Map each day, too, and 7,000 people accessed it this way.
Thanks to the GISCollective, there's a brand new App (iOS so far) that lets you see what's nearby any place where there is a Green Map! More features are being added, based on user requests, so download today and let us know what you think!
