Wendy E. Brawer
Wendy E. Brawer

Green Map NYC

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New York City's Original Green Apple Map

Innovator, publisher, promoter, connector

Created to highlight the surprisingly green side of New York City, Wendy and colleagues have published two dozen different Green Maps since 1992. Youth mapping, workshops, consulting and public presentations have engaged communities throughout the city.

With the idea of designing a new green product for New York City's visitors, Wendy guided people to experience an unexpected side of the city by mapping green stores, farmers markets, recycling sites, gardens, hot spots and heritage sites. In creating the original Green Apple Map - with a lot of help from friends and experts - Wendy engaged both residents and tourists by highlighting NYC's signs of progress toward sustainability, promoting the city's enjoyable and healthy assets while raising awareness of challenging conditions.

This first Green Map turned out to be a powerful innovation: a new kind of map, it was appealing, universally understandable and resource efficient. Using it, people discovered, connected and got involved locally. Response to this original edition led to queries that sparked the global Green Map System.

Working with many different partners over the next years, Wendy turned the NYC edition into a model 'marketing service for the hometown environment', sharing tools with Green Map projects across the city and around the world. Youth- and community-made Green Apple Maps, university interactions, exhibits, cycling tours, media, talks and workshops followed, as seen at GreenMapNYC.org. 

Wendy has led production of two dozen citywide and thematic editions, both in print and interactive. Some, such as Lower East Ride and the Powerful Green Map of New York are part of a climate series, as seen below. 

Wendy has also co-produced videos, including Bike Ready (4 minutes on preparedness and mutual aid) and How to Create a Bike Tour as well as the Nature of Green Maps, and more, as seen on Green Map’s channel. Now extending from mapping to making green places, NYC remains a proving ground for new Green Map concepts.