Green Maps are environmentally themed maps which are usually created as a grassroots effort with a symbol set licensed from the non-profit Green Map System. A Green Map plots the locations of environmentally and culturally significant resources e.g.; recycling centers, toxic waste sites, public art, community gardens and socially conscious businesses. The purpose of a map is to serve as a guide for sustainable living.
History[]
Green Maps are an educational tool for advocacy and public awareness created by eco-designer Wendy Brawer of Modern World Design in 1992 as a result of the response to the Green Apple Map. Since then, Green Mapmaking has been adopted on every inhabited continent, with more than 350 registered projects in 47 countries.
Due to the growth in the number of projects a decentralized or "hub" based management system has been adopted. With this new organizational structure, Green Map System has encouraged various regions to form local support networks including Mapa Verde of Latin America and the Caribbean, and Green Map Japan; where there are an astonishing 66 projects. The original Green Map symbol set was revised and extended to the 125 "icons" of the current set in 1999. Because concepts of sustainability are continually evolving, a group of Green Mapmakers is currently developing a 3rd version of the symbols scheduled for release in August 2007.
Branding & Spelling[]
While Green Map System prefers and promotes the spelling "Green Map" to preserve trademark claims, the less awkward "green map" and "greenmap" are often used by others. Green Map System is concerned with maintaining control of copyright and trademark in order to preserve the perceived integrity of the system; they wish to prevent the use of Green Maps in greenwashing and do not allow commercial use of their assets.
External links[]
- Green Map Atlas, an anthology of mapmaking stories
- List of web-based Green Maps
- Google's Summer of Green
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