Abstract This article provides a review of the terms and practices associated with the democratization of cartography, and illustrates their potential to contribute to the environmental justice movement. The Internet has revolutionized how maps are made and communicated. Citizen mapping involves multiple individuals collaborating on the collection and synthesis of spatial data via Web-based software. Google Earth allows users to combine and communicate cartographic information without extensive geospatial training. These developments have freed geography from its stereotype of being a study of place names to a discipline that can engage the public in the collection, analysis, and most important, the comprehension of the power of maps to promote environmental and social justice. We illustrate this potential through a case study in Tallahassee, Florida, where a biomass facility was proposed for a low to moderate income, and minority neighborhood. A permit was granted for the facility without consideration o...