Green Maps: An Interview

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It's amazing to see how the seeds we helped plant can take root in
new places, each blossoming in their own way and growing strong. I seeded a
movement by revisiting the ancient power of mapmaking and refueling it with
local leadership, globally designed symbols and adaptable tools. This has
yielded a new medium for engagement, Green Maps, which now offers a fresh
perspective to 775 diverse communities. With hundreds of unique outcomes — printed
and interactive maps, websites, books, classes, exhibitions and events — that
promote and link thousands of green living, natural and cultural assets and
challenges around the world, I'm happy to share a bit of the story behind the
movement. I hope you will be inspired to visit GreenMap.org and use Green
Mapmaking to connect your own interests, skills and networks and support your
community's trajectory toward sustainability at the same time. (Wendy E. Brawer, eco designer and social innovator responded to
journalist David Kupfer's questions in September 2011.)

 

David Kupfer: What was your personal entre into the environmental
movement?

Wendy E. Brawer: I was given the initials WEB at birth, and always resonated with concept of
the web of life. I loved being outdoors as a child, but surging with creative
energy, I became an artist. I bicycled, heated with wood and ate vegetarian
food from the co-op – this was all rather normal back then in Seattle, where my
honey and I lived as young artists. So I was living green even before I started
working in the field and identifying as a movement member.

My moment of crystallization came in 1989 — I encountered an entrapped
orangutan. I wanted to help her, and she tossed me a stone that smacked sense
into my palm. This made me realize I had the freedom to do something that would
wake people up and help them view the world from a new perspective. This took
place in Yogyakarta Indonesia, where today, this orangutan is credited with
catalyzing the Green Map movement. She shifted my focus in a fundamental way. I came
home and starting learning more…

 

What is and what was your path to becoming an
ecological designer?

We left Seattle and headed west in the mid-80's, on the adventure course. We
had a little apartment in Tokyo — just 150 sq feet — in an old-style neighborhood
where many temples and cemeteries were clustered after the big fire of 1923. So
even though it was intensively urban, there were beautiful green spaces that
were part of our everyday, and the streets were lined with beloved flowering
plants tumbling from containers of all types in front of every house. I
experienced mass transit with millions of people and learned how to live well
with less energy and less stuff. I deepened my appreciation for durable design
qualities. Tokyo's intensity made me want to learn more about applying design thinking
— I wanted to use it to address issues more directly than I had as an artist.

It was a natural shift — even back in Seattle, some of my work had blurred
the boundaries between art and design. I reused mixed materials and made works
that could be rearranged, abstractly mixing in the human element. I made my
first 'social sculptures' to encourage the free exchange of stuff in my 'Put N Takes'
in the Pike Place Market and other spots. I took my artistic license seriously.
I always enjoyed collaborating and this was important to my attitude towards
ecological design.

So when I returned to NYC after meeting the orangutan, it was at a transformation
time for me. I had already gained some design skills and studied environmental
issues. I went to classes, conferences and lectures, and joined groups involved
in waste reduction, cycling and population stabilization. My industrial design
teacher, Mark Seltman and I began co-teaching Design for the Environment in 1990 in the adult ed program at The
Cooper Union. This was a great vehicle for sharing ideas and resources at a
time when few existed. The class became a 'think and do' tank, and a great convergence
space. I become more solution oriented and purposeful as I infused eco-design
into my identity.

At the same time, I was thinking about green products — what could I
produce that was sustainable in both its message and its materials? I saw the world
as a delicate web — how could I help reveal and protect its complexity?

I had one foot on a tiny island that had an enormous influence and the
other foot leading me out into the world — what could I do to support others
getting who were getting involved in eco design? I co-started the first US
chapter of the O2 ecological designers network (o2.org)
and the other end of the spectrum, I was taking part in the Industrial
Designers Society of America to gain a soapbox with what I saw was at the crux
of the issue — designed obsolescence and a persistent 'designosaur' attitude
that was driving us toward extinction. As chair of IDSA's Eco committee, I
helped change the code of ethics and the annual design competition's criteria,
raising the bar on design education and practice. I was appointed Designer in
Residence at the Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in 1997 and
in many ways was propelled there by my open attitude toward culture change that
was fueled by the inherent creative freedom I had gained as an artist as well
as the orangutan's gift. That's why I named my website
EcoCultural.info

 

How, when and why did you create the first Green Map?

In December 1991, I was in a room full of sustainability folks up at the
United Nations. The Earth Summit 'prep com' was scheduled for March in NYC,
leading up to the main event in Rio in June 1992. With so many eco-leaders
coming to town, a wide range of group events, lectures and tours were being
proposed. I thought about the individual's experience. Would they see all the
signs of progress toward sustainability being made in NYC? I decided to make a
map — universally understandable, resource-efficient, and conceivably
publishable in a few weeks. I came up with the name — Green Apple Map — on the
spot and before the day was done, 10,000 copies were donated. The next day a
dozen cohorts got together and got organized. We celebrated with a mix of 250
New Yorkers and UN folks on the first day of spring offering talks and tours at
17 of the 143 sites on the freshly printed Green Apple Map.

 

What was the initial reaction?

The response was pretty positive — the Green Apple Map drew lots of nice local
and international press. There were many requests for copies and plenty of
suggestions for the next edition (which we published just a few months later). I
was thrilled when it was included in the awesome Power of Maps exhibit at the National
Design Museum in 1992.

The map started opening doors for me, too. I became the first greening
consultant for Times Square, designing 'self-emptying' recycling bins for 42nd
Street, researched materials for an architect, collaborated on a conceptual
plan to make Manhattan a zero emission vehicle island by 2010, contributed to
design classes and magazines and generally thrilled to be 'part of the
solution' in this ever-changing city, especially as it was changing for the
better.

In seemingly no time, I was responding to people who wanted to make a Green
Map like ours for their community. I considered writing a book, but spent a lot
of time thinking about movement building. I observed people using maps and
noticed how important the symbols were. So I thought — a universal iconography
could connect locally-made Green Maps all over the world. But we needed a
system, a way to communicate and pioneers to test out ideas and create waves.

I brought these concepts — a visual language of sustainable initiatives
such as farmers markets, community gardens, solar sites etc., and a system for
helping people make and share maps — to the O2 event that took place in
Copenhagen in 1995 in parallel with the UN Social Summit (where I was invited
to speak about the greening of New York). Everyone put something on the O2 table
— and suddenly, there was a modem, a new medium for collaboration, a global
network of informed designers ready to co-create icons and make different kinds
of Green Maps for their communities and boom, we were on our way. I got http://GreenMap.org going and shepherded the icon development project
through its release as a font the following spring, and co-created the first of
the adaptable mapmaking guides.

ECOoperation published Copenhagen's first Green Map in 1996 — it was the
first to use the new icons and framework, and attracted more communities'
involvement. By the turn of the century, 36 unique locally-made editions were
changing perspectives and we had projects underway on every inhabited
continent.  As seen on our Timeline*, our network has grown
steadily, with our movement surging as we launched the interactive Open Green
Map platform over the last couple of years. We're now in 775 cities, towns and
campuses in 59 countries.

For
me, it's been wonderful to work with great thinkers behind the maps — some of
whom have been there for Green Map for eons, like Misako Yomosa in Japan, Beth
Ferguson in Austin, Ciprian Samolia in Romania, Marco Kusumawijaya in Jakarta,
Maeve Lydon and Ken Josephson in Victoria and many more. David, as the third
San Francisco Green Mapmaker, you have opened many doors for the global program
and at the same time, created a compelling view of both Northern California and
the city — you are a good example of how mapmakers benefit their home and
planet at the same time. We also have longtime advisors like Bob Zuber and Nina
Reznick and our board, which includes people like Sara Tucker, Dia Center's IT
Director who has pitched in since Day Two and Thomas Turnbull who built the
Open Green Map and continually helps us move forward. Without them, and the
involvement of fresh interns, mapmakers and supporters everyday, it's doubtful
we could have made such great inroads in both the global north and south,
bridging the worlds of activists, students, designers and policymakers, and
created such a wealth of Green Maps and related murals, tours and events that
resonant with broad audiences. (See timeline here.)

 

Are Green Maps political tools or just educational?

Take a look at the stories in the book you can download free at
GreenMap.org/impacts. You'll see how they have contributed to policy change, helped
decision-makers and activists see eye to eye, reverse over-development plans,
make environmental and climate justice issues evident and create new
opportunities for green infrastructure. As education tools, civics classes have
used Green Mapmaking as participation in government tools. Amplifying local
voices for change, many of our 500 locally printed editions and over 200 Open
Green Maps have generated media attention that helped form pressure points on
local political issues too.

Critical assessment is part of every Green Map's research phase, ideal for
life-long learning. Educators find the resources in our Participate section
(shortcut GreenMap.org/youth) of value as they
seek to connect community and classroom, take part in planning and visioning
the future of their home place. There you can find resources that help youth get
involved with school energy conservation and develop expressive communications
skills. There's multimedia in that section as well as interesting papers are
online in the Universities section.

 

Can you explain the process of developing the iconography
for Green Maps?

Green Map Icons fill many roles — connector, promoter, identifier,
inventory tool — essentially we have given a globally recognized brand to the
signifiers of sustainability and consider these (currently copyrighted) icons
one of our most important assets. Printed, interactive, postcard, mural or
video, these icons are used on every Green Map.

Designing this living lexicon began with a list, and even now, when we
update and expand the Green Map Icons, the list is the starting point for a discussion
about the elements of sustainability at the community level. We talk about each
suggested theme as a network. We have aimed for broad meaning so we consider if
a new concept is already adequately covered by an existing icon, or does it
need its own — for example do we need permaculture, community kitchen, cancer
cluster or are we covered by  the
icons for eco-agriculture, community center and unhealthy spot?

If you publish a Green Map locally, you can tweak an icon's title to
clarify it in the local context, and add icons your map team has developed (or
familiar symbols — such as transit station — that everyone in the community
knows) to your map. Currently, on the Open Green Map platform, we cannot make
changes, but there are 8 languages to choose from so we can include the
majority of the world's people. We created this tool (and the mobile and iPhone
tools that go with it) to reduce technological and financial barriers to online
mapmaking and sharing. Open to public viewpoint, images and ratings, the data
can be shared, compared and embedded in other websites, all highlighted by
Green Map Icons.

Before we started building the Open Green Map, we released Version 3 of the
award-winning Green Map Icons in May 2008. As is our practice, we created a new
font so the iconography is easy to use the icons with any application. We made
sticker sheets, flashcards, translation tools, and posters. The poster can be
downloaded here, along with related
resources, a bit of history and credits, even the means to search 'by the icon'
through the 18,000 sites on the Open Green Map platform. The poster includes a 'pattern code' to help locally designed icons and Version 4 harmonize with the
current set. Already, we have begun a list, and expect to use http://lab.greenmap.org to convene the discussion about updating this fall.
We'd love to have some help with this process. It's really important yet quite time
intensive — defining, designing, reaching a consensus, adding them to Open
Green Map in multiple languages, redeveloping posters, fonts, etc. If readers
of Reality Sandwich want to contribute, visit the icons' web page — or click here to pitch in.

Will these Icons become open source eventually? We hope so. In the
meantime, we invite sustainability-minded folks to register to use them on
Green Maps and related education and outreach resources at http://GreenMap.org/join, or to contact us at info
at greenmap.org if you want to discuss licensing them for another
purpose.

 

How have/can young people become involved in Green Map
production/creation?

Youth Green Maps have been made since 1998, and young people took part in community
projects even before that time. 12 year olds even designed our youth friendly
Green Map Icon as they mapped out their vision of how to convert an army base
to public space in Calgary! Their expressive outcomes can be quite powerful,
especially when they choose to tackle tough issues. It's quite moving to see
how they frame what they have discovered and how it's given them the means to
communicate with peers, elders and decision-makers. We made some free downloads
— Energy and Environment Exploration modules for use in and out of the
classroom. Find these 'get your feet wet' tools and short overviews of youth
Green Maps at http://GreenMap.org/youth.

 

You have become an organic farmer, can you speak to
your motivation for that, and what are you growing where?

I think all of us who are involved in the movement need a place(s) where
you can put your hands on the earth and experience its richness in all seasons.
Even though I belong to a community garden in the city and have little plants gracing
my home and workspace, being part of an organic berry farm in a verdant valley
is a wonderful and eye-opening thing. Especially now that we are on the climate
roller-coaster, it's important to become more resilient and understand how
basic needs get met. I don't really think I have become an organic farmer or
even ‘half farmer, half X' which is a Japanese transitional concept, but I sure
do enjoy the work and being there often. I keep Green Map bubbling on the front
burner from my little desk on the porch when I am there, keeping the flow in
balance as I draw closer to the planet and people I love. 

The world is a beautiful place. Come and join me from the place where you
stand, and help everyone see it that way.

 

David Kupfer is a native of San Francisco, a city for which he recently
designed and produced a Green Map (www.sfgreenmap.org). He has worked as
an environmental consultant, greening Hollywood studios and
productions, Bill Graham Presents and String Cheese Incident Festivals,
Zen Centers and Taquerias, as an organic farmer and advocate,
environmental educator and activist, for the University of California's
Appropriate Technology Program as an editor and teacher, and has written
for a variety of national publications such as The Sun Magazine,
Progressive, Whole Earth, Hope, New Farm, Earth Island Journal, High
Times, Backpacker, Adbusters, Alternet, Sing Out!, Diva, Permaculture
Magazine and  for the Directors Guild of America and California
Certified Organic Farmers. 

 

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Researchers from Beckley/Sant Pau Research Program have shared the latest findings in their study on the effects of ayahuasca on neurogenesis.

 

The Fatimiya Sufi Order and Ayahuasca
In this interview, the founder of the Fatimiya Sufi Order,  N. Wahid Azal, discusses the history and uses of plant medicines in Islamic and pre-Islamic mystery schools.

 

Consideration Ayahuasca for Treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Research indicates that ayahuasca mimics mechanisms of currently accepted treatments for PTSD. In order to understand the implications of ayahuasca treatment, we need to understand how PTSD develops.

 

Brainwaves on Ayahuasca: A Waking Dream State
In a study researchers shared discoveries showing ingredients found in Ayahuasca impact the brainwaves causing a “waking dream” state.

 

Cannabis and Ayahuasca: Mixing Entheogenic Plants
Cannabis and Ayahuasca: most people believe they shouldn’t be mixed. Read this personal experience peppered with thoughts from a pro cannabis Peruvian Shaman.

 

Ayahuasca Retreat 101: Everything You Need to Know to Brave the Brew
Ayahuasca has been known to be a powerful medicinal substance for millennia. However, until recently, it was only found in the jungle. Word of its deeply healing and cleansing properties has begun to spread across the world as many modern, Western individuals are seeking spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical well-being. More ayahuasca retreat centers are emerging in the Amazon and worldwide to meet the demand.

 

Ayahuasca Helps with Grief
A new study published in psychopharmacology found that ayahuasca helped those suffering from the loss of a loved one up to a year after treatment.

 

Ayahuasca Benefits: Clinical Improvements for Six Months
Ayahuasca benefits can last six months according to studies. Read here to learn about the clinical improvements from drinking the brew.

 

Ayahuasca Culture: Indigenous, Western, And The Future
Ayahuasca has been use for generations in the Amazon. With the rise of retreats and the brew leaving the rainforest how is ayahuasca culture changing?

 

Ayahuasca Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
The Amazonian brew, Ayahuasca has a long history and wide use. Read our guide to learn all about the tea from its beginnings up to modern-day interest.

 

Ayahuasca and the Godhead: An Interview with Wahid Azal of the Fatimiya Sufi Order
Wahid Azal, a Sufi mystic of The Fatimiya Sufi Order and an Islamic scholar, talks about entheogens, Sufism, mythology, and metaphysics.

 

Ayahuasca and the Feminine: Women’s Roles, Healing, Retreats, and More
Ayahuasca is lovingly called “grandmother” or “mother” by many. Just how feminine is the brew? Read to learn all about women and ayahuasca.

What Is the Standard of Care for Ketamine Treatments?
Ketamine therapy is on the rise in light of its powerful results for treatment-resistant depression. But, what is the current standard of care for ketamine? Read to find out.

What Is Dissociation and How Does Ketamine Create It?
Dissociation can take on multiple forms. So, what is dissociation like and how does ketamine create it? Read to find out.

Having Sex on Ketamine: Getting Physical on a Dissociative
Curious about what it could feel like to have sex on a dissociate? Find out all the answers in our guide to sex on ketamine.

Special K: The Party Drug
Special K refers to Ketamine when used recreationally. Learn the trends as well as safety information around this substance.

Kitty Flipping: When Ketamine and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Read to explore the mechanics of kitty flipping.

Ketamine vs. Esketamine: 3 Important Differences Explained
Ketamine and esketamine are used to treat depression. But what’s the difference between them? Read to learn which one is right for you: ketamine vs. esketamine.

Guide to Ketamine Treatments: Understanding the New Approach
Ketamine is becoming more popular as more people are seeing its benefits. Is ketamine a fit? Read our guide for all you need to know about ketamine treatments.

Ketamine Treatment for Eating Disorders
Ketamine is becoming a promising treatment for various mental health conditions. Read to learn how individuals can use ketamine treatment for eating disorders.

Ketamine Resources, Studies, and Trusted Information
Curious to learn more about ketamine? This guide includes comprehensive ketamine resources containing books, studies and more.

Ketamine Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to ketamine has everything you need to know about this “dissociative anesthetic” and how it is being studied for depression treatment.

Ketamine for Depression: A Mental Health Breakthrough
While antidepressants work for some, many others find no relief. Read to learn about the therapeutic uses of ketamine for depression.

Ketamine for Addiction: Treatments Offering Hope
New treatments are offering hope to individuals suffering from addiction diseases. Read to learn how ketamine for addiction is providing breakthrough results.

Microdosing Ketamine & Common Dosages Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing ketamine.

How to Ease a Ketamine Comedown
Knowing what to expect when you come down from ketamine can help integrate the experience to gain as much value as possible.

How to Store Ketamine: Best Practices
Learn the best ways how to store ketamine, including the proper temperature and conditions to maximize how long ketamine lasts when stored.

How To Buy Ketamine: Is There Legal Ketamine Online?
Learn exactly where it’s legal to buy ketamine, and if it’s possible to purchase legal ketamine on the internet.

How Long Does Ketamine Stay in Your System?
How long does ketamine stay in your system? Are there lasting effects on your body? Read to discover the answers!

How Ketamine is Made: Everything You Need to Know
Ever wonder how to make Ketamine? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how Ketamine is made.

Colorado on Ketamine: First Responders Waiver Programs
Fallout continues after Elijah McClain. Despite opposing recommendations from some city council, Colorado State Health panel recommends the continued use of ketamine by medics for those demonstrating “excited delirium” or “extreme agitation”.

Types of Ketamine: Learn the Differences & Uses for Each
Learn about the different types of ketamine and what they are used for—and what type might be right for you. Read now to find out!

Kitty Flipping: When Ketamine and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Read to explore the mechanics of kitty flipping.

MDMA & Ecstasy Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to MDMA has everything you want to know about Ecstasy from how it was developed in 1912 to why it’s being studied today.

How To Get the Most out of Taking MDMA as a Couple
Taking MDMA as a couple can lead to exciting experiences. Read here to learn how to get the most of of this love drug in your relationship.

Common MDMA Dosage & Microdosing Explained
Microdosing, though imperceivable, is showing to have many health benefits–here is everything you want to know about microdosing MDMA.

Having Sex on MDMA: What You Need to Know
MDMA is known as the love drug… Read our guide to learn all about sex on MDMA and why it is beginning to makes its way into couple’s therapy.

How MDMA is Made: Common Procedures Explained
Ever wonder how to make MDMA? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how MDMA is made.

Hippie Flipping: When Shrooms and Molly Meet
What is it, what does it feel like, and how long does it last? Explore the mechanics of hippie flipping and how to safely experiment.

How Cocaine is Made: Common Procedures Explained
Ever wonder how to make cocaine? Read our guide to learn everything you need to know about the procedures of how cocaine is made.

A Christmas Sweater with Santa and Cocaine
This week, Walmart came under fire for a “Let it Snow” Christmas sweater depicting Santa with lines of cocaine. Columbia is not merry about it.

Ultimate Cocaine Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
This guide covers what you need to know about Cocaine, including common effects and uses, legality, safety precautions and top trends today.

NEWS: An FDA-Approved Cocaine Nasal Spray
The FDA approved a cocaine nasal spray called Numbrino, which has raised suspicions that the pharmaceutical company, Lannett Company Inc., paid off the FDA..

The Ultimate Guide to Cannabis Bioavailability
What is bioavailability and how can it affect the overall efficacy of a psychedelic substance? Read to learn more.

Cannabis Research Explains Sociability Behaviors
New research by Dr. Giovanni Marsicano shows social behavioral changes occur as a result of less energy available to the neurons. Read here to learn more.

The Cannabis Shaman
If recreational and medical use of marijuana is becoming accepted, can the spiritual use as well? Experiential journalist Rak Razam interviews Hamilton Souther, founder of the 420 Cannabis Shamanism movement…

Cannabis Guide: Effects, Common Uses, Safety
Our ultimate guide to Cannabis has everything you want to know about this popular substances that has psychedelic properties.

Cannabis and Ayahuasca: Mixing Entheogenic Plants
Cannabis and Ayahuasca: most people believe they shouldn’t be mixed. Read this personal experience peppered with thoughts from a procannabis Peruvian Shaman.

CBD-Rich Cannabis Versus Single-Molecule CBD
A ground-breaking study has documented the superior therapeutic properties of whole plant Cannabis extract as compared to synthetic cannabidiol (CBD), challenging the medical-industrial complex’s notion that “crude” botanical preparations are less effective than single-molecule compounds.

Cannabis Has Always Been a Medicine
Modern science has already confirmed the efficacy of cannabis for most uses described in the ancient medical texts, but prohibitionists still claim that medical cannabis is “just a ruse.”

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