We want to reward you for your actions. That's why we created Greenopolis Rewards. You can earn points by recycling in our Greenopolis Recycling Kiosks, blogging and commenting on Greenopolis and by recycling at home in selected cities. These points can then be traded in on coupons for meals, entertainment, discounts and more.
Our Greenopolis Recycling Kiosks are a big part of our commitment to conservation, recycling and tracking waste to resources. This Tracker shows the number of bottles, cans and other waste these machines have collected so far. Check our Kiosk Locator on our home page for a Greenopolis Recycling Kiosks near you.
Pulling up to the Whole Foods store in Lake Grove, NY, I could feel the excitement growing. Fresh fruit and veggie hues of orange, green, gold and red danced in the light through the sliding glass doors. I knew right then, I was entering a Mecca of green goodness. What a perfect place to plant an innovative recycling phenom! Standing in the lobby, the dizzying array of fresh organic produce beckoned to me, distracting me from my mission. Even my 2 year old daughter’s mouth was locked in a perfect “O”. “Not just yet Miss Banana” I said to her gently, kneeling down to level our eyes, “Remember? We’re here on a mission!”
Yes, a mission of great importance indeed: To discover, explore and recycle at the Greenopolis Recycling Rewards Kiosk.
Though I called ahead to let the manager know I was coming, It didn’t look like they’d spruced it up any. Looking a bit sad and lonely, I thought I’d give her a name: “Rosie”, like the robot from the Jetsons. Just then, I swore I heard Rosie sigh. “Okay Rosie, get ready for some GreenBeans love!”
I touched Rosie’s screen and she sprung into action! Yep, I’m already a *PROUD* member, tap..tap, user name entered and presto! We’re ready to recycle and start earning rewards. Miss Banana and big brother Munchkinface are in charge of the scanning (the bar code reader is the perfect height for antsy 4 and 2 year olds) and I follow the arrow on the screen that points me to the right receptacle: HDPE or PET (PETE)? No worries, Rosie will let you know where it goes! Beep, point, drop, beep, point, drop…we continue our musical conversation ‘til the last drop. All done! Print: Voila! Rosie slips out my rewards code & conventional reimbursement ticket. Yay!
Ready to shop.but WAIT! Here comes a gentleman, his wagon stuffed with recyclables. I could swear Rosie smiled. So I try to look busy (in the lobby??!!) ...I casually spied. Beep, drop, beep, drop…wait a minute??!! What happened to tap...tap? “Isn’t this so great” I blurt out. The gentlemen turns to me, slightly annoyed, “What is?” Oops. Did I say that out loud??!! “Greenopolis Rewards”, I manage through my sheepish grin. “What are those?” he asks, AH! Now he’s intrigued! I slip alongside him to quickly explain: “See you take this card” (I slide one out from Rosie’s card slot), “you scan it real quick, enter your info on the touch screen here and Presto! Rewards are coming your way. How cool is that?” My sheepish grin grew to a satisfied smile. “Um, I guess so” he shrugs. You guess so??!! You guess so?? There’s something fishy going on around here.
“Okay kids, let’s go investigate.” Zooming past the aisles of vibrant produce, packages and products, I make a beeline for the manager’s desk. His tag says “Colin” and he’s awfully savvy looking for twenty-something year old. Introductions, blah, blah, store complimented, blah blah…okie enough small talk- “What’s the deal with Ros- ..er…the Greenopolis Recycling Kiosk?” His eyebrows pop up over the rim of his glasses “Whadaya mean?” I launch my interrogation: “Do folks like the rewards? How do you guys let shoppers know about it? Do they have any trouble signing up? Who keeps an eye out to help?” He blinked. “Umm..well..people in NY live fast paced…there were some problems…not accepting e-mail addresses or something…” Our conversation left me deflated. Adding insult to injury, off all the employees I spoke to in my shopping travels, he was the only one who even knew what the Greenopolis Recycling Kiosk was.
Photo: Petunia GreenBeans
We finished our shop, and waved goodbye to Rosie as we left. I could swear she let out a tiny *sob*. Poor Rosie, filled with the potential to change the way we recycle, innovation abound, straining against her metal sides, shouting out to the masses “I am new, take a peek, I will change the way you think..look at me!!!” But nobody listened as they passed through the lobby, they didn’t even spare a glance. It’s not her fault, it’s ours. And we can change this- DRASTICALLY- with just a few simple adjustments. But that’s for the next post. In the meantime, remember: Sometimes even robots need love too. Especially Rosie.I mean…your local Greenopolis Recycling Rewards Kiosk.
In our next Adventures with Petunia GreenBeans: we’ll uncover the hidden truth about Rudy, Rosie’s long lost brother…if we can dig him out from behind the pile of recyclables…
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