June 18, 2008 - Trash-hauling giant Waste Management is sponsoring a new social networking website that encourages people to "learn, act, and earn rewards for making a positive impact on the environment."

Greenopolis.com, currently in beta, aims to connect people and businesses on green issues. (Full disclosure: SLM is a content partner.) The site was developed to serve as an educational tool to teach people about ways in which to be more environmentally sound, according to Waste Management.

Waste Management is backing the site in an effort to get more people to start thinking green, says Joe Vaillancourt, managing director of the company's organic growth group. "We believe that by promoting and creating a dialogue about things such as conservation, recycling, and renewable energy that awareness about our environmental operations and our business offerings will increase," he explains.

In January, Waste Management launched Thinkgreen.com, its own microsite highlighting the company's efforts to recover, recycle, and reuse the waste materials it collects. The site is designed to support the company's Think Green initiative, a multimillion dollar environmental program focused on pursuing new recycling and waste-to-energy technologies.