"Kids don't know where their food is coming from." We are a society often disconnected from ourselves and our world. Yet, we are more and more connected online. The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD), Rio+20 (June 20-22, 2012) plans to renew political commitment to sustainable development and address new and emerging challenges. The Conference will focus on two themes: (a) a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and (b) the institutional framework for sustainable development. Okay, so what does that mean to regular folks? How about: We care about our communities and the world around us. So, we need to protect and improve it. How can we know more and be actively involved in the real changes, even at a incremental level?

Call to Map it, Change it.

The UN has stacks of resources about RIO+20. The Future We Want is an initiative focused on opening up the process to: Share your ideas. The UN's Sustainable Future site includes a list of organizations and movements who demonstrate the power of: What Can You Do? We invite you to join the fray: What can you map? There are countless local and global stories related to sustainable development. Take map aim at an issue that you care about to highlight the need for real change.

Mapsters in Action

At the recent United States Rio +20 pre-event, Ushahidi had a chance to feature the work of amazing deployers trying to share, understand and change their world. These examples should get your mind spinning on some of the untold map stories that you could activate. Citizen crowdsourcing can elevate and visualize your subject. And, you may be surprised who you hear from and how you can collaborate. The Cost of Chicken project works with kids from around the world to collect data on local food conditions. It uses Crowdmap to track and share information ranging from the cost of chicken, water, and, even, candy. Learn more from Olga Werby, mapster advocate: Can those kids be any more inspiring in their search to understand and connect with each other over food production? Thanks to each one of them for sharing their passion for change.

Take a World Tour:

Deployers around the globe are mapping about sustainability. These are some examples we shared at USRio+20:

• Global Energy Shortages This map includes a layer of Ajay Kumar's project Powercuts.in.
• Find Fuel in Nairobi, Kenya
• Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock: Nangarhar Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock ( DAIL ) (Afghanistan). More on this project: "A Moment of Discovery and Awe".
• iWitness Pollution (Louisiana, USA)
• Spotting Fair Trade in North America (supporting sustainable products) (USA)
• Agrotestigo: Mapping Agricultural Social Networks (building collective resources about agricultural technologies) in Argentina
• Qiantang River Water Map 钱塘江水地图: A Collaborative Interactive Water Map for Qiantang River (China)

If you have more examples of great maps, please share them in the comments or add them to our Deployments Map. And, when you create a new map, be sure to tweet to @UN_Rioplus20 and @ushahidi. Use the hashtags #futurewewant. We'd be happy to feature your map story on our blog. Simply drop us a line.

More Resources:

• Official United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD)
• UN Sustainable Future site
• United States Rio+20 Conference
• The Future We Want

Thank you: USRio20 participants and organizing team

Thank you to Noel Dickover, Richard Boly and Sarah Jessup for inviting Nat Manning and I to participate in USRio20. Special thanks to Carmelle Terborgh, ESRI, for supporting our participation. We were delighted to meet participants and to brainstorm, learn and Speed Geek [video] about these important topics. Thanks! Heather L.