GreenMap motto is to “Think Global, Map Local”. The website promotes participation in sustainable community development in an inclusive manner. On the website, you can find over 800 maps of cities what show a wide range of sustainable related activities and places. These can include public green spaces, local farmers markets, organic local restaraunts, local bike shops, environmental NGO offices, environmentally related government offices, and many more.
Through their maps, GreenMaps hopes to increase local-global sustainability networks, strengthen the demand for healthier and greener consumer choices, and help green initiatives spread to more communities.
I checked out one of their open-source maps for Richmond and found an interesting variety of green-related items: http://www.opengreenmap.org/greenmap
On the map, there are a few obvious green related things, such as Monroe Park. But there is also some less well-known items as well. Some notable ones were one of the VCU dorms. It was highlighted because the entirety of the perimeter of the dorm is planted with vegetation to help filter the storm water runoff from the dorm. Another cool feature on the map was a fix-it-yourself bike repair station located on the VCU campus.
You can also add your own features to the maps as you see fit.
In general, this website is a great way to get better connected into local sustainable activities and initiatives. This website could be especially helpful to help you get acquainted to a new city or new community.
I think this website can really help create a stronger sense of place in communities.
Sweet website! I’m really interested in how this website uses spatial analysis to connect people locally and sustainably. I like what you said about how a tool like this creates a stronger sense of place- maybe there’s a possibility for maps to function in a way that embeds our personal connections to places.
What a great website for encouraging people to go green. I honestly think that its hard to find places nearby to help contribute to the Earth, but I’m sure that this website will make me and more people around the world engage in going green.
This is a great initiative to make it easier for people to live sustainably from day to day. I think a great number of people would be more green if things were more accessible and they were told what to do. This map guides people in the right direction, making the act of going green fast and easy.