A Road Map to a Greener Future

Bed-Stuy residents now can learn more out about the greening of their neighborhood from their computers, thanks to Ajamu Brown and his new organization, The Bed Stuy Community Eco Mapping Project. With just a click of the mouse, anyone can go online to view 3D maps of active green resources in and around Bedford-Stuyvesant. 

"Bed-Stuy is considered a food desert" said Brown. And although there is still a lot of work to be done, the project was meant to"begin highlighting what community residents are doing to green Bed-Stuy and provide additional support to those in the local food and urban gardening movement."

In fact, there is a rich groundwork for green and environmentally responsible food sources grown locally, many from community gardens right in the neighborhood. From green grocers to local food growers, from community gardens to farmer's markets, eco mapping helps anyone with Internet access find an easy path to healthier food choices. 

The Eco-Mapping Project's collaboration with local groups was one important way this project brought the community together. They partnered with The Digital Interactive Visual Arts Sciences (DIVAS) for Social Justice-- a local youth training group in Bed Stuy—and other volunteers to interview local community gardeners as a part of the research and development of the interactive green map. 

 "There was an inter-generational experience none of us expected," said Clarisa Maribel James, executive director of DIVAS for Social Justice. "It was great to see the teens who were conducting the interviews bond with the community gardeners that were mainly senior citizens."

Filmed interviews of local gardeners involved in the project can be accessed on the map directly, at each gardener's location. Brown calls the project a work in progress and hopes to continue on as long as there is community support.

Other organizations involved in The Bed-Stuy Community Eco Mapping Project include The Brooklyn Food Coalition and The Magnolia Tree Earth Center, a hub for green activity stemming from environmental activist Hattie Carthan's legacy and with guidance from people like Rev. Jacksons from Bed-Stuy Farm and Yonnette Flemmings from Hattie Carthan Garden. You can preview the project, download a free 3D Google map, or find other like-minded green resources on their site.

Brown has had strong ties with the neighborhood since he was a child and according to him, Bed Stuy represents a cornucopia of cultures that keeps the community vibrant despite the challenges.

"There are many opportunities to develop new and creative projects if you have the right people behind you," said Brown. "And even though there is a long road ahead for the Bed Stuy community to becoming eco and sustainable, this project has taught me that real change happens in stages."