Greenopolis FAQs

About Greenopolis.com (Beta)

Greenopolis.com (Beta) Features and Programs

What is Greenopolis.com? (Beta)

Greenopolis.com (Beta) is an interactive, collaborative and educational Web site that allows people to learn, act and be rewarded for making positive, environmental changes in their lives and communities. Developed by Waste Management, Inc., Greenopolis brings individuals, communities, environmental organizations, schools and businesses together to help make the world a greener place.

How will Greenopolis.com help the environment?

Greenopolis encourages and rewards individuals to make positive incremental changes in their daily lives. It is an open forum that encourages participation from any person or organization to discuss any and all topics concerning the environment and “being green.” By bringing together a broad cross-section of people, businesses, environmental organizations, schools and communities, Greenopolis is not only teaching about the ways in which a person can help the environment, but also encourage people to work collaboratively to protect it.

What is Waste Management's relationship to Greenopolis.com?

Waste Management sponsored the creation of the site to encourage individuals, communities, nonprofits and businesses to communicate about green practices. Not only is the company committed to providing its high quality comprehensive waste and environmental services, but it is also committed to engaging customers and all of its various stakeholders to think about the environment. The company believes that by promoting things such as conservation, recycling, and renewable energy that awareness about our environmental operations and offerings will increase. Because Waste Management is an environmental services company committed to taking innovative steps to protect and even enhance the environment, we want to increase the use of our services to the benefit of society, the environment and the company.

While the Waste Management sponsored the creation of the site, and will openly maintain and develop the functions of the site, Greenopolis is a collaborative effort among individuals, community groups and organizations to post information, share opinions, ask questions and provide feedback on environmental initiatives. Greenopolis is self-governed, in that users decide what content belongs.

Why did Waste Management decide to create and operate Greenopolis.com?

The company is always looking for innovative ways to engage stakeholders and protect the environment. Recently, Waste Management launched ThinkGreen.com, which is an interactive web site that describes its waste operations in a way that is both fun and creative. With more than 20 million residential and commercial customers and 10,000 school partnerships nationwide, Greenopolis is a natural extension of Waste Management’s efforts to bring together people, companies and organizations to help benefit the environment. Through the use of technology, Waste Management hopes to help people learn about the environment and work together to protect it. Greenopolis is part of Waste Management’s broader commitment to sustainability.

What is Waste Management doing to help the environment?

As North America’s largest provider of waste and environmental services, Waste Management has been taking innovative steps to protect and enhance the environment. By 2020, Waste Management is working to double the amount of energy produced through waste-based energy, triple the volume of recyclable materials processed, increase the fuel efficiency of its fleet by 15 percent, and quadruple the amount of certified wildlife habitats that occupy the areas around our facilities in North America. For more information regarding Waste Management’s environmental initiatives please visit www.thinkgreen.com.

How is the content of Greenopolis.com generated?

Greenopolis is a collaborative effort among individuals, community groups and organizations to post information, share opinions, ask questions and provide feedback on environmental initiatives. Greenopolis is primarily devoted to raising awareness around sustainability and providing opportunities to integrate environmentally friendly choices into peoples’ day-to-day lives. The site will create a strong call to action for all to do their part in living greener. For a list of corporate partners, please see “Partnerships” at Greenopolis.com.

To what extent will Greenopolis.com edit content and/or users that provide negative opinions of Waste Management or its practices?

Greenopolis has developed clear terms of service defining the content that is acceptable for the community. Greenopolis is committed to providing a constructive environment for people to talk about the positive changes that individuals can make to benefit the environment. The site invites a robust conversation about what individuals, groups and companies can do to make positive, incremental environmental changes; therefore, there may be some conversations that are critical of organizations or corporations, including Waste Management. The Greenopolis member community will help shape and define what its members deem appropriate for the site – and to flag posts that are inappropriate or unconstructive. Greenopolis is self-governed; users decide what content belongs.

How is Greenopolis.com different from other environmental sites?

Greenopolis is an interactive, collaborative and educational Web site committed to bringing individuals, communities, environmental organizations, schools and corporations together to help people learn and act in collaborate ways and make positive environmental changes. While it shares some features with other environmental Web sites, such as sustainability resource guides, green job sites, social networks, educational organizations and grant-making institutions, Greenopolis is unique in that it combines all of these opportunities in a single community. At Greenopolis people can be rewarded for the incremental changes they make in their lives that collectively can lead to significant, long-term environmental improvements.

What is the source of the educational content?

The educational content on Greenopolis is aggregated from various institutions, organizations and groups who have compiled research, conducted studies, experiments, and ongoing global observation on environmentally related issues. Greenopolis is committed to providing the most up-to-date and accurate environmental information available, and encourages all participants to post and share their knowledge and learnings. Greenopolis members can learn from each other and the wisdom of the community.

How can teachers use the Greenopolis.com site?

Teachers will find the Greenopolis site especially helpful for environmental learning, sharing and teaching as they can easily access different curriculum-enhancing information. At Greenopolis, teachers can find a range of environmental research, shared local community and national information, and earn “Greenopolis Points,” which teachers and/or students can accrue for on- and offline use and savings. Also of interest to teachers is the “eGreenU” section which houses environmental information and programs. Teachers can apply for grants in this area of the site. Users are encouraged to provide ideas and feedback for making the site as useful and relevant as possible to empower them in their environmental education goals.

Is Greenopolis.com for kids?

Greenopolis is for users age 13 and above. It is designed to help raise awareness of the importance of greener living for individuals such as students, teachers and parents, as well as schools communities and corporations. Teachers can choose “green curricula” appropriate to various ages at “eGreenU” at Greenopolis.com. There are elements of the site, such as sustainability games, that may appeal to kids (and those who are kids at heart), but the community is designed for anyone age 13 and above who is interested in learning about and improving the environment.

In addition to education, what other benefits and functions does Greenopolis.com provide?

The site is a resource for local environmental services, employment in the environmental space, games, contests and allows members to track their respective Green Profile relative to the entire Greenopolis community. Online benefits will include: interaction with other Greenopolis members, the use of unique features and tools such as “Free’N”, a place for people to exchange all things old and new instead of throwing items away, and a place to access unique financial opportunities for organizations, corporations, educational institutions and individuals. As Greenopolis continues to roll out in multiple stages, members will have the direct benefit in multiple ways to accumulate and use their “Greenopolis Points.”

Why is Greenopolis.com designated as a "Beta" site?

Greenopolis is considered to be in “Beta” because we are still testing the functionality of the site to ensure that we create the best user experience possible. We invite your feedback as we try to improve the site during the Beta period and beyond. Stay tuned for announcements about new and improved features in the coming months. Ultimately, Greenopolis it is members who will define how the community operates and the future direction of the site.

Will Greenopolis.com give back to communities in the form of grants?

Yes. Greenopolis is working on establishing a nonprofit partnership that will be funded by corporations, organizations and individuals. Donated funds will then be granted to educational projects, research, as well as new business ideas.

Greenopolis welcomes environmental organizations to participate in making the site a useful, relevant and informative user experience. Greenopolis is seeking partnerships that will facilitate information sharing, collaboration and learning for all participants, and therefore it invites all existing green communities to participate and share their thoughts and views. Greenopolis is also encouraging environmental groups that don’t have an online presence to use Greenopolis.com as their home. You can harness the power of Greenopolis.com’s online community for blogging, in-site messaging, rewards, photo and video upload surveys and other resources to motivate your members to make the positive environmental changes that you are committed to.

How can environmental organizations participate in Greenopolis.com?

Greenopolis welcomes environmental organizations to participate in making the site a useful, relevant and informative user experience. Greenopolis is seeking partnerships that will facilitate information sharing, collaboration and learning for all participants, and therefore it invites all existing green communities to participate and share their thoughts and views. Greenopolis is also encouraging environmental groups that don't have an online presence to use Greenopolis.com as their home. You can harness the power of Greenopolis.com's online community for blogging, in-site messaging, rewards, photo and video upload, surveys and other resources to motivate your members to make the positive environmental changes that you are committed to.

In addition to Waste Management what roles do other corporations play in Greenopolis.com?

Greenopolis invites environmentally conscious partners to participate and provide valuable, action-based benefits to the Greenopolis member community. There are many opportunities for corporate involvement both online and offline: “Greenopolis Points” redemption programs, Greenopolis Grants, corporate sponsorships and the creation of co-branded sustainable programs, among others. Greenopolis is seeking companies committed to environmental leadership and action to help join the cause.

How do corporate sponsors get involved in Greenopolis.com?

There are many opportunities for corporate participation in Greenopolis. Interested corporations should contact: joe_laur@greenopolis.com.

Who has partnered with Greenopolis.com?

Greenopolis’ current partners include dozens of environmentally-friendly businesses, organizations and universities, including:, Timberland, Seventh Generation, Green Mountain Coffee, Habitat for Humanity, Keep America Beautiful, Cornell University, The Johnson School and Georgia Tech.

Please visit “Partnerships” at Greenopolis.com frequently to see the growing list of corporate and non-profit partners.

Greenopolis.com (Beta) Features and Programs

What is MyOpolis?

MyOpolis is the interactive community section of Greenopolis, where members can create profiles, build networks of friends and keep track of their Points. Users can also create a blog, share photos or upload videos. MyOpolis was created to promote collaboration, networking and idea sharing around the goal of creating a greener planet.

Why would someone join MyOpolis?

When people join MyOpolis, they become part of a highly collaborative online community dedicated to sustainable living. MyOpolis is a fun and easy way to be a part of the large-scale effort toward creating a greener planet and tracking progress with the rest of the community. MyOpolis provides tangible, visible systems to track learning, action and value in one's daily life.

What are Greenopolis Merit Badges?

Greenopolis Merit Badges help users track their learnings and actions in the following environmental categories:

Green Energy Conservation
Clean Abundant Water
Clean Fresh Air
Healthy Soils and Forests
Reuse and Recycle
Reduce Waste
Green Community and Education
Wildlife and Habitat Conservation / Protection
Climate Change and Carbon Footprint
Healthy Sustainable Food

How do Greenopolis Merit Badges work?

Greenopolis Merit Badges are based on learning and action in a particular environmental sphere. Greenopolis users earn points and eventually accumulate enough "merits" to earn a badge. The badges are then displayed as part of the MyOpolis user profile, which are accessible and visible online. We believe that people should be rewarded for making positive, incremental changes to the environmental and should be recognized for their personal sustainability commitments.

How do Greenopolis Points work?

Each time Greenopolis members perform a positive environmental action or record an environmental learning in MyOpolis, they earn “Greenopolis Points.” The Greenopolis Points can be converted into coupons for discounts for environmentally-friendly products and services from participating Greenopolis partners.

What is a MyOpolis Profile and how is it used?

Who is Liv Greene?

Liv Greene is the Greenopolis.com avatar or "digital ambassador" who invites and helps Greenopolis members to explore, learn and take incremental steps to help preserve the planet. As an environmental ambassador, teacher, eco-tour guide, and friendly helper, Liv guides Greenopolis members through steps that lead to more sustainable living. She welcomes questions and provides helpful environmental tips, encouraging everyone to think and grow in the spirit of greener living. Liv Greene "lives" on Greenopolis.com. She also has a MySpace page and is an information bot that answers environmental issues for AOL Instant Messenger (AIM).

What does it cost to join Greenopolis.com?

Nothing. In fact, Greenopolis.com members can save money by making a series of small, positive eco-choices to accumulate "Greenopolis Points," which eventually can be converted into online or offline coupons for savings with Greenopolis partners. Greenopolis is designed to be an easy-to-use, interactive, collaborative online service that provides information and incentives to help link environmental learning, awareness and actions.

For more information: www.Greenopolis.com or please contact: 603-929-3211. Media Contact: Lynn Brown at lynnbrown@wm.com (713.394.5093). Site Functionality: Joe Vaillancourt at jvaillan@wm.com (603-929-3140). Partner contact: Joe Laur at joe_laur@greenopolis.com (978-544-0001)