The Eco-mmunity Map is a great resource for changing the world in a host of green ways. The amount of things you can do on the map is basically the extent of your imagination and your willingness to reach out to people. In order to help you navigate your options on this map, we have compiled a list of fun and engaging map activities.
Finding green food
Try to find organic grocery stores, farmer’s markets or organic gourmet restaurants. To do this, you can enter your zip code into the “where?” text box and then type search words like restaurant, grocery, food or gourmet into the “what?” text box. You can also select the business marker filter and enter your zip code and this will give you just the business markers in your area, which will include grocery stores and restaurants. If you do not find the results you are looking for, then nobody has entered markers for this part of the map yet, so please consider adding a local grocery store you do know about so the next person can take advantage of this information.
You can also create a “green action needed marker” on the map next to your “individual marker”. You might say that you are looking for green recipes or healthy diet advice for your kids. This way other people in the Eco-mmunity Map can locate your “green action needed marker” and leave helpful comments.
Helping with recycling
Try to find recycling centers using the map. Type your zip code into the “where?” text box and then type recycling into the “what?” text box. You can also check the businesses to display only that type of marker.
If you cannot find a recycling center on the map then we encourage you to find out where the nearest recycling center is and to place it on the map yourself as a “business marker”. If you are feeling very dedicated, you can also let the recycling center know that they have been added to the map and then they can claim the marker.
Making your home green
You can search the map for green design and/or construction businesses. Type your zip code into the “where?” text box. Now enter keyword terms like construction, building, design, home improvement, wood, or architecture into the “what?” text box.
Optionally, you can make a “green action needed marker” at the physical location of your construction area. This will also allow other people on the Eco-mmunity Map to locate and help address your green needs.
Creating a green community
Try to search the map in your zip code and see if there are any “green event markers” already there. You will be looking for events or gatherings where people are addressing issues or just meeting to figure out a plan of action; e.g. a meeting to green a nearby coal plant.
Also, consider making your own “green event marker” and title it something like “Introductory Planning Meeting for Green Sustainability in Woodstock, NY (replace with your town, state)”. You may be surprised to find people in your community care as much about the local environment as you do, and you could make some good friends while you make the world a better place.
Learning about green products
For this type of situation, it’s probably best if you make a “green action needed marker” and put it at the physical address of your home or office. In this marker you would ask for recommendations for specific products. Such information requests might look like “Seeking Energy Efficient Refrigerator”.
You may also want to search for businesses by entering your zip code into the “where?” text box and entering search terms for the products you want into the “what?” text box. You can type in search terms like “energy star”, “refrigerator” or “appliance”.
Discovering green recreational activities
In order to find new activities to engage in, like hiking trails, scenic views, camping spots, rock climbing walls, swimming holes or other scenes of natural beauty; we recommend that you check the “green event or attraction” checkbox in the map search area and enter your zip code in the “where?” text box.
We encourage you to find and make map markers for “green attractions” like the ones listed above. Keep in mind that it’s important to respect the environment in those places when you visit.
Generating green change
The “green action needed marker” is ideal for this purpose. As an example, imagine that you sent your children to a public school that was very near to an operating coal mine. If your children were being exposed to dangerous waste materials emitted by the Coal Power Plant, you could place a “green action needed marker” next to the school and state the problem as you see it, providing as much detail and documentation as you can muster to back up your point. You could then place a “green event marker” next to the school and set a time for concerned people to meet and discuss measures to solve this health problem. You might send petitions to the local mayor, the governor or perhaps the state senators with as many signatures as you could find. The Eco-mmunity Map can help you generate awareness about issues like this and it can also help to convince people to sign your petition. Once the map and your noble efforts help to remove this problem from the school you can delete the “green action needed marker” and replace it with a “green action taken marker”, showing the whole world that problems are surmountable.
