It’s World Environment Day and the launch day of Open Green Map, a global initiative to map out local natural, cultural and green living sites, to help people make greener lifestyle choices. There are launches being held around the world today: Cape Town, Geneva, Jakarta, Stockholm, Baltimore, Pereira Colombia, the UK towns of Swansea, Clackmannanshire, Neath Port Talbot and other places are presenting their green maps to the public.

There’s something particularly special about the Cape Town Green Map launch that I wanted to share with you. It’s probably the lowest carbon launch of all the Green Maps, and I’m quoting from the launch invitation to illustrate why/how:

The venue is “your laptop, PC or iPhone so there are no travel costs or [additional] carbon footprint. The dres code is “optional – but locally designed garb from hemp/bamboo/organic cotton is encouraged”. There are no speakers – “an untold saving on hot air and CO2 emissions”.

In addition there are “no printed invitations (save on ink/chemicals, paper/trees), no printed media packs (save on ink/chemicals, paper/trees and packaging), no travel to the venue (save on CO2 emissions, time and roadwork frustration), no food or beverages (save on packaging, waste, energy and food miles) and no speakers, official openings, ‘live’ performers (save on CO2 emissions, uncomfortable silences and the effort to look impressed)”.

Isn’t that cool? And in this very wet weather I’m extra-specially glad not to be going anywhere!

Here’s a bit more about Cape Town Green Map for Capetonians who are interested in giving it a test-drive:

Cape Town Green Map is updated by interested green Capetonians, making it a direct, democratic communication of local knowledge and action. You can find community gardens, craft centres, recycling drop-offs, areas of natural beauty, shops and markets that sell green and organic products, restaurants and bars who serve organic food and drinks and more. If you know about somewhere green that’s not on the map, you can suggest it to the mapmakers, or become a mapmaker yourself.

More great green news for Cape Town is that in October A&C Maps, who print “Not the official guide to Cape Town”, the “Pink Map” and the “Food Map” will be bringing out a printed version of the Cape Town Green Map. Look out for it!

A big thanks to Open Green Map, the City of Cape Town, urban sprout and A&C Maps for this great tool.

*Read Treehugger’s great article about why maps are such a good tool for helping us go green.

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I’m particularly obsessed with cardboard boxes at the moment, because I’ve just moved house and the empties are everywhere. Of course I could just take them to the recycling depot down the road, but then I came across this awesome Instructable and just knew that this was what my boxes were destined to be.

What becomes of the rest of the boxes cluttering up my house is yet to be seen. If you have any brilliant recycling ideas, please leave a comment. Alternatively, if you live in the Cape Town area and are moving soon, you’re welcome to come and collect the boxes from me to reuse.

Beautiful and ecological, cardboard laptop case [Instructables]

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I’ve just discovered Freeset bags (& journals) and just love what they are all about… Freedom for the women who have no choice but to roam Calcutta’s streets as prostitutes, and for their daughters.

My pick of the bags are these dragonfly print jute shoulder bags with cotton lining (the handles are lined too to be comfortable on bare shoulders) with a cell phone pocket.

“Each Freeset Bag tells a story of one woman’s journey to freedom. She used to stand with 6,000 other prostitutes in a small but well known area of North Calcutta. She didn’t choose her profession; it chose her. Poverty does that. It robs people of their dignity and children of their innocence.

She still lives in the same area, but instead of selling her body she makes Freeset Bags. Now she has choices, the choice to work decent hours for decent pay, to re-establish her dignity in her community and to learn to read and write. Now her daughter won’t have to stand in the street selling her body like her mother used to. Freedom has been passed on to the next generation.” – from the Freeset website.

Also check out these wood-free Kantha journals. They are handbound, with a kantha- stitch multilayered cover, a screen-printed pencil and white wool paper. Each journal is unique. They are made by the daughters of sex workers. Freeset’s goal is to bring wholeness and restoration to their lives. Many tragic stories are told by the girls. By giving these girls a dignified job, Freeset have given them a step up, to gain respect by society. The cycle of shame is broken!

Freeset products are available in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Sweden.

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