Use the Ecosia search engine

If you spend a lot of time online (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t?), your search engine can actually have a climate impact - Ecosia is a free search engine and browser that uses its ad revenue to plant trees around the world — and not a small amount either. Over 242 million so far and dedicated over € 96 million to climate actions. It’s a simple idea: you search, they plant.

I’ll admit — it’s not quite as slick or predictive as Google. The search results can feel a little slower, and occasionally you’ll find yourself opening another tab to double-check something. But for day-to-day browsing, it works surprisingly well. I started using it after reading about their tree-planting projects in over 35 countries, for example: Indonesia, Brazil, and Burkina Faso. Seeing the little “tree counter” tick upward every time I searched made the internet feel just a bit more purposeful.

What makes it meaningful is how effortless it is. You don’t need to donate money, sign petitions, or install complex software. Just use Ecosia as your default search engine, and part of the revenue from your searches goes directly to verified reforestation programs. According to Ecosia, every 45 - 50 searches fund the planting of one new tree — restoring ecosystems, providing shade and food for local communities, and absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.

(Image from Ecosia)

It’s not a perfect replacement for Google, but it’s close enough that I usually don’t notice the difference. If you want to try Ecosia, just download the Ecosia Chrome Extension, which will update your default search to use it automatically. You can also set it up directly if you'd prefer:

• Open Chrome Settings
• Go to Search Engine → Manage Search Engines
• Add "https://www.ecosia.org/search?q=%s"
• Set Ecosia as the default.

If you use a different browser, check out their guide here to try it out.