What is a Green Map?

Many towns and cities throughout the world, including the United States and Canada, are launching sustainability programs to respond to the mounting threat and possible consequences of global warming. Among the first activities that often get developed by such communities is the design of a Green Map.

A Green Map is a geographic and symbolic representation of a community that highlights:

• major “green” sites to be applauded,

• eyesores to be remedied,

• natural and built resources to be protected or expanded (green spaces, parks, etc.), and

• cultural programs and activities to be supported and increased.

The Green Map System (http://www.greenmap.org/greenhouse) is an international program that has prompted over 400 cities and towns in 50 countries to chart local natural, social and cultural resources and empower communities to work toward local sustainability. Its Website has many resources, and tools, including a set of universal icons, that allow local mapmakers to design visually attractive and symbolically meaningful maps. One example of a completed map is the Yellowknife Green Map (http://cpaws.org/images/maps/nwt-greenmap.pdf)

The intent and merits of a Green Map are many:

• some towns and cities use it to market their environmental consciousness and sensibilities and to encourage tourism generally and eco-tourism in particular;

• others use it as a community education tool to galvanize efforts by groups and citizens generally to overcome blights on the community’s natural landscape or built environment (e.g., illegal dumping areas, brownfield sites, overgrown and neglect urban tracts;

• still others design Green Maps to foster environmental education and civic mindedness among school-age youth who will become the next generation of citizens, voters, and perhaps community leaders;

• many employ Green Maps for a combination of these purposes.

Who crafts Green Maps? Everyone from school or college student teams and area environmental organizations to members of city planning divisions.

What happens to community Green Maps? In many cases, they are converted to graphics files and featured on local government Websites. From time to time, they are updated to show progress toward achieving community sustainability. Towns and communities often reproduce Green Maps as brochures and made readily available to citizens and tourists to promote public education and eco-tourism. When successful, Green Map campaigns lead to urban or community sustainability programs—the next step in communities “thinking globally, acting locally”!

Think Global, Map Local!