Climate Action United States Project #39557

NYC Green Maps + Climate Action

by Green Map System

Project Report | Aug 7, 2025
Green Map Reflections - events & more!

By Wendy Brawer | Director

Saugerties NY Earth Day Everyday in April

It's been wonderful having events this year! In addition to live events, our monthly Open Hour continues on first Wednesdays at 11 (except in August), as noted on our Events page.

Starting with the Earth Day Week crew in Saugerties, above, workshops have helped bring forth great ideas about local resources, places and people who are making positive change in their community.

Several interested people joined our 2025 Jane's Walk in May, which offered a planner's view of the Avenue C Cultural Corridor with anthropologist Ms Pentecost and designer Ms Brawer, who is also Green Map's Director. Special thanks to all the locations we visited, including Campos Garden, our starting point!

In May, an Italian economics student began his internship with us. Mr Reckhaus took part in conferences, events, zooms and meetings, starting with the NYC Department of Education’s Climate Action Days for middle and high school students. While here, he updated a segment of the Energy Map of NYC, and added 50 Passive House Buildings - explore the map at bit.ly/PHBldg-NYC. We’re gearing up to update more segments - watch for news soon.

Also in May, the annual Earth Celebration involves practically everyone in the East Village. Our Director was dubbed an East River Steward and was invited to say a few words about this tidal estuary and its role in our lives by procession director, Ms Young.

In June we took part in the National Grow Together, also known as the American Community Gardener Association conference, providing workshops and tours. The photo below is by Mr Reuter of Green Thumb, NYC Parks community garden branch, taken at the verdant La Plaza Cultural. It's been a wet spring and summer so far, which is great for the fireflies as well as our green spaces.

We wanted to add a special shout out to our long time partner in Taiwan, Society of Wilderness, which celebrated 30 years! This all-volunteer NGO has spread to every corner of their country.

As Ms Shen wrote, “The Taiwan Green Map project has now been going strong for 27 years. During the event, we shared the story of our connection with you on stage. Dr. Lee, who first met you in the U.S., presented a small Taiwan Green Map flag and a SOW scarf embroidered with your name.”

Excitingly, our Board member, Mr Yu, happened to be in Taipei at the right moment and joined the Wild at Heart celebration. Thank you SOW, for all your great work - check it out at impacts.greenmap.org!

Our planet needs all of us! Our best to all as the season continues. Look for our fall event news soon -

Events during Simone's internship - May & June

Earth Celebrations honored our Director in May

Our Tour for the National Grow Together in June

Congrats to our Colleagues in Taiwan in July

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Apr 16, 2025
Awakening & Activating this Earth Day Month

By Wendy Brawer | Director

Ride with us to make a new perspective on home

April features Earth Day, of course, and hopeful signs of spring. At these stressful times, work grounded in one’s own community can be a balm for your outlook - mapping is a power tool for uncertain times. Giving voice that shapes our common future, it’s now the season for digging in, spurring growth for all.

New York fans and visitors, please join us:

April 25: Earth Day Week workshop in Saugerties NY

May 4: Avenue C Cultural Corridor, walk talk and map - please RSVP to this Jane's Walk & LES History Month event

May 7: Open Hour - Open for your Questions - RSVP bit.ly/GMooh25

June 5-8: Green Map Workshops and walking tour at the American Community Garden Associations’ annual conference, a wonderful free event co-sponsored by NYC Parks Green Thumb

June : Open Hour - Climate Mapping with Green Map resources - RSVP bit.ly/GMooh25

Virtual Events: We have continued our monthly series of Open Hours, where we invite everyone to come share knowledge and get questions answered about making Green Maps. Over the winter, each month had a theme, and for each, a slidedeck was created, like this one, made for the Icons discussion in March. It’s the most accessible of these decks as a standalone resource (both Teamwork in January, and Surveys in February were part of technical demonstrations). In the fall, we added new videos that demonstrate our new Website Builder, too.

As noted in this overview of resources, our Platform prioritizes collaboration with customizable engagement tools that make it easy to engage your community. Locally-led mapping teams are using a mix of techniques with their various projects.

During a recent Open Hour, EcoRise took part, and we found that this US educational organization has been using Green Map tools for years. I met with their staff member and together, we planned a workshop.

Anel wrote in a follow up: “Teachers really enjoyed the webinar.” Would they recommend it to another teacher?

"Yes! It's a creative way for students to engage with their surroundings and problem-solve for current issues through spatial awareness and advocacy."

"Absolutely, this is amazing information and an important tool for life."

We’re planning to meet with EcoRise again soon. Let us know if you're working with educators who could benefit from a webinar, and how mapmaking resources can help your work thrive.

Stand up for the home planet this week and every week!

Our events this season welcome all

Our Website Builder could be just the tool for you

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Dec 30, 2024
Looking ahead, hopefully!

By Wendy Brawer | Director

Talking with teens at our natural history museum

To all our GlobalGiving Donors -

Firstly, thanks so much for standing with us in 2024 - New York has had a quite a year from a climate perspective, capped off with the passage of the Climate Change Superfund Act on Dec 26th, statewide. Green Map takes part in many campaigns and we are especially glad this one is moving forward.

As you may have noticed, this year, not everything is a step forward. Now it’s more difficult to send out an upbeat message about the year ahead. 2025 has so many unknowns!

But what we do know:
• Being active in our communities is an antidote to our worries.
• Digging in to nurture nature is an effective climate countermeasure.
• The energy transition is making great headway. It’s more affordable than ever to take charge and use power more efficiently, and even to become a generator of clean renewable energy yourself.
• Shop locally to strengthen small business, from the farmers market to the family-owned shops, and help keep the local economy in motion.
• If you feel a divide, reach across to meet people where they are, and help rebuild the civic fabric of your home place.
• Create and use Green Maps to discover resources for everyday choices that are better for the environment and better for you and your community.

In this time of uncertainty, our work helps to ground people to home places and together, and accelerates progress towards reaching our full potential. Please donate to keep sharing our unique resources further each year.

Our most recent News post details a slew of resources for the under-resourced - these work equally well for those that are well-equipped. This includes our terrific new website builder (with AvenueC.greenmap.org being one of the first to try it out), our new set of Local Food Icons, a freeform Open Office Hour each month and much more made possible with your support.

Thank you! We're gearing up, with your support.

all out best from Wendy and everyone at Green Map System

Join us at an Open Office Hour in 2025

Discover the music along Avenue C

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