Transmitting and Exploring Cacao-Based Sustainability Narratives Through GIS Mapstories

This paper tests whether GIS mapstories are an effective way to transmit environmental and ethical narratives of small, local businesses. The study took place at Grocer’s Daughter; located in Empire, MI. They source many of... [ view full abstract ]

This paper tests whether GIS mapstories are an effective way to transmit environmental and ethical narratives of small, local businesses. The study took place at Grocer’s Daughter; located in Empire, MI. They source many of their products locally and have close connections to their cacao partners in Ecuador. The chocolate shop, and their partners, prioritize environmental sustainability and the ethical treatment of people. Research has shown that a sense of place and narrative has an important affect on how people care for the earth and the culture and people of that specific area. The researcher wishes to know if GIS could be utilized, in this regard, to transmit a sense of place and environmental narrative of Grocer’s Daughter to their customer base. If so, it could possibly make people feel more connected to the business and their partners and cause customers to understand and value their sustainability practices. The information collected about the environmental and ethical practices of Grocer’s Daughter and their partners was translated into a mapstory using ArcGIS online. The story itself includes videos on the chocolate production process, maps of cacao co-operatives they source from in Ecuador, maps of local business partners, how products are made, tips from the staff, and descriptive sustainability sections. The mapstory was then distributed via social media and e-mail with a link to a google survey that posed questions such as “Do you feel that you have a better understanding of the values of Grocer’s Daughter Chocolate, particularly in regard to sustainability"? While the research and responses pointed to the ability of GIS mapstories to transmit narrative sense of place and values, additional research should be done to deem whether that transmission causes a shift in values of consumers.