The Amazon rain forest is currently on fire, but that doesn’t mean that you’re powerless to make a positive difference. Ecosia is a German based search engine who donates to organizations that plant trees with the ad revenue generated by their users. Ecosia claims that for every 45 searches it raises enough funds to plant 1 tree. They also claim that the company was able to dedicate 80% of surplus revenue towards planting trees in August. If you’d like to see a detailed report of their spending then you can read their transparency report on their website.
We suggest that you bookmark Ecosia or add it as your web browser’s default search engine. Over time, as you search more and more, you will see a number highlighted in the top right of the screen increase. This number represents how many searches you’ve performed, and how many you have to go in helping plant a tree. We suggest that you do not clear your browser history or cache, or else this number will reset.
Ecosia is based upon Microsoft’s Bing search engine, which is the second most popular search engine in the world. This means that you will get relevant search results for the most common and popular search queries / results. Ecosia is also privacy focused, meaning that they take your privacy seriously and do not store your searches or sell your data to third parties.
If you feel powerless in the face of deforestation, then know that you can make a difference with technology. During your next online shopping trip use Ecosia, and help spread the word by telling your friends, family and co-workers. This is not a paid advertisement and Imagine Monkey is not affiliated with Ecosia.
