Monday, December 3, 2012

Be Resourceful Interactive Map

In the category of inspired (and inspiring) ideas: 

Check out Portland, Oregon's Be Resourceful Interactive Map. This is a clickable, scalable map of resources that empower people to live resourcefully. Places on the map include ones you will find in many cities, like The Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity, and some uniquely Portland ones, like Green Furniture Hospital and Waterfront Bicycle Rentals. There are even places you might not immediately think of as "resource centers", like Artist Repertory Theater and Happy Hamster Computer Repair.

I've seen resource maps before, and think it's interesting that instead of material categories like "food", "housing", "energy," and "schools", this map lists action categories like "buy smart", "reuse", "borrow & share", and "fix & maintain". It's a different way to think about our role in sustainability and the impact of our decisions, not only on the planet but in our communities and economy. How would it change things if we all had a personal "be resourceful" map?