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Here be compost heaps

Where to compost a banana peel in lower Manhattan.

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If you’re searching for a green oasis in urban Jakarta, Indonesia, or a place to compost your banana peel in lower Manhattan, a Green Map can show you the way. The ­innovative mapping project (greenmap.org) has more than 350 printed or downloadable maps covering 50 countries, with many more in the works. The guides focus on places as diverse as Jerusalem, Israel; Keng Zih, a traditional village in Taiwan; and the New Jersey Meadowlands.

Wendy Brawer initiated the project with her own Green Apple Map of New York City in 1991. That map, which she updates, includes farmers’ markets, thrift stores, greenways, bike paths and, yes, places to compost. It was so successful Brawer started working with community members to enable them to create their own maps. The venture went online in 1995 and has been growing every year since.

Local community groups create maps using the Green Map System software. So although the guides come in a variety of languages, including English, Chinese, Spanish, Japanese and Hebrew, the use of a universal iconography makes them understandable for all readers. “We have a standard set of 55 icons and then there’s an extended set that a community creates for itself,” Brawer says. The standard icons have recently expanded to highlight progressive entities such as social justice and enterprise organizations.

Brawer is most excited by what happens when citizens gather to work on a community map. “The local mapmakers decide who the audience is and what they want to showcase,” she says. “It helps people who live there feel better about their place and gives them a stronger connection.”