allGreenup is the way to go

Save money with allGreenup

The world is full of cynics who are more than willing to say almost anything in order to turn you into one of them. These are the same people that will tell you that recycling is a waste of time because Chile doesn’t have a real and global policy on recycling. They might even tell you that riding a bike to work or to university doesn’t make any difference at all and that you’re only doing it so that you can feel good about yourself. I say, boo hoo to them. Fortunately, there are still people whose existence is a contribution to making this world a better place. Sebastián and Andrés Luongo are part of this select group of people fighting to make a difference. These two Chilean cousins are the creators of a free revolutionary mobile app: allGreenup. 

allGreenup was launched in 2013, since then it has been installed more than 10,000 times.

Do you want to save money while you help the environment? Then, this app is for you.  AllGreenup rewards users with attractive discounts or special offers if they take eco-friendly decisions such as recycling, riding a bike, carpooling or simply reading suggested articles. The app can even determine the environmental impact of the eco-friendly actions you take as it keeps a record of them. This is how it works: once you’ve registered to the app, you earn a number of points for each environmentally-friendly action you take. Here is when you probably wonder how this app finds out about your good deeds. The answer depends on your actions. 

Recycling point in Providencia, Santiago.

When recycling, you'll have to scan the QR codes located on the recycling points registered in the system if you are in Chile. Otherwise, you'll have activate the GPS in order to confirm that you are actually at a reciclyng point. If you find a recycling point that's not registered in the system, you can suggest its incorporation and this also gives you points. All in all, you can get 5 to 12 points depending on the material you recycle (plastic, glass, paper, cans, Tetra Pak packages, batteries, e-waste, cooking oil, CD's and DVD's). 

QR codes on recycling bins.

If you're going to run, walk or ride a bike to get to a destination, then allGreenup has to be syncronized with RunKeeper. This GPS-based app will keep track of the distance you’ve travelled and this information will be transferred to allGreenup once you’ve synchronized the two apps. Each kilometer gives you 3 points.  If you want to carpool, you'll have to install Tripda. You'll obtain 40 points for each time you carpool. Want to get more points? You can read environment-related articles which will give you 1 to 4 points. Once you’ve gathered enough points, you can go to the allGreenup store and trade them for goods, discounts and activities, all of them related to sustainability and the protection of the environment. Currently, there are more than 50 brands associated with this app. Among them: GAMA Bikes, Patagonia Camp and Clementina.

Screenshots on how allGreenup works (sadly, the app has only a Spanish version)