CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
It's Earth Day: the Earth's birthday! This year, the Earth turns the big
4-0-0, and Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN) (http://www.groupon.com)
is committed to helping the planet reach 401 by supporting eco-friendly
Earth Day campaigns. Groupon honors its signature green with two major
initiatives: the launch of Groupon Grassroots (http://grassroots.groupon.com)
(formerly G-Team) and the Groupon Challenge with CrowdRise (http://www.crowdrise.com),
a company co-founded by Edward Norton, actor and United Nations Goodwill
Ambassador for Biodiversity.
Groupon Grassroots is the latest step in the evolution of Groupon's
social giving, inhabiting the charitable exoskeleton once worn by The
Point and more recently, G-Team, which saw more than 100,000 people
raise more than $3 million for 500+ projects. Groupon Grassroots is a
new way to discover local causes, rally together with others and lend a
helping hand. Grassroots supporters can continue to positively impact
their community in ways they couldn't do alone, such as donating to
plant a community garden or repair a neighborhood playground. To
commemorate Earth Day and the program's rebranding, Groupon Grassroots
will host 50 environmental campaigns and kick off each with a $1,000
grant.
"Social good and collective action is in the fiber of Groupon's DNA,"
said Patty Huber, Director of Groupon Grassroots. "We have an amazing
platform in our more than 33 million active global customers to activate
citizens and positively impact the communities where we live and serve.
It's an honor to work with an accomplished ambassador and thought leader
like Edward Norton and his platform CrowdRise and we're thrilled to join
forces to increase awareness, generate enthusiasm for environmental
sustainability and give these Grassroots partners the spotlight and
funds each deserves."
Groupon Grassroots has also partnered with CrowdRise to further extend
the Earth Day celebration. Edward Norton founded CrowdRise in 2010 to
make it fun to give to a favorite nonprofit organization by empowering
people with engaging game theory and a modern approach to charity.
Beginning April 16, consumers can take the Groupon Challenge by visiting
CrowdRise and donating to a cause of their choice. The campaign that
raises the most money through May 15 will receive an additional $25,000
from Groupon, while the second- and third- highest fundraising campaigns
during the month will receive $15,000 and $10,000, respectively.
"I think it's very clear that figuring out how to live sustainably
within the environmental systems that support us is the defining
challenge of our era," said Norton. "Earth Day is important because it's
about waking up more people to that challenge and committing to engage
in it ourselves. Power in numbers is real, and when we take collective
action it matters. We can affect things with daily choices like the
products we buy, and we can also affect the pace of change by directly
supporting the many terrific organizations working for environmental
health. Groupon is doing a great double-barreled campaign to encourage
purchasing eco-friendly products as well as giving direct support by
activating donations on Groupon Grassroots and offering cash prizes for
groups that raise the most on our Groupon Earth Day Challenge on
CrowdRise. Groupon is making it easy to do something...so let's all step
up and do something positive."
About Groupon
Groupon (NASDAQ:GRPN) launched in November 2008 in Chicago, features a
daily deal on the best stuff to do, eat, see and buy in 48 countries
around the world. Groupon uses collective buying power to offer huge
discounts and provide a win-win for business and consumers, delivering
more than 1,000 daily deals globally. To subscribe for the best deals in
your city, visit www.groupon.com.
To learn how to become a featured business, visit www.grouponworks.com.
About Groupon Grassroots
Groupon Grassroots, launched in July 2010 in Chicago as G-Team, features
local campaigns in more than 65 markets nationwide, enabling Groupon
followers to do good, have fun, and make a real impact in their
communities. Groupon Grassroots uses collective action to gather support
for worthwhile causes and produce tangible results for local
organizations. To learn more about Groupon Grassroots and how to become
a featured organization, visit http://grassroots.groupon.com.
To subscribe to Groupon, visit http://www.groupon.com.
About CrowdRise
CrowdRise is a fundraising site dedicated to the idea that raising money
for charity and giving back has got to be fun. CrowdRise's custom-built
platform and game mechanics provide fundraisers, charities and events
with a unique way to raise the most money for their causes and share
compelling philanthropic stories with their personal networks. The site
lets anyone turn their friends into an active base of donors for any
cause.
In 2011 CrowdRise topped Mashable's list of "Most Innovative
Crowdfunding Platforms" and was named a "Top 25 Best Global
Philanthropist" by Barron's. CrowdRise was founded by actor and activist
Edward Norton, producer Shauna Robertson, and the founders of Moosejaw,
Robert and Jeffro Wolfe.
Thousands of charitable organizations, events, celebrities and every day
donors have made CrowdRise their philanthropic base for giving back.
Groupon
Erin Yeager, 312-999-3434
eyeager@groupon.com
or
Sunshine
Sachs PR
Aaron Gannon, 212-691-2800
Gannon@sunshinesachs.com
Source: Groupon
News Provided by Acquire Media