Plant Trees Around the World From Your Phone!

In our back pocket lies a marvel of human invention. The smartphone has allowed for endless connectivity within our society, providing us with a wealth of knowledge and opportunity. If you’ve ever wondered how you can increase your impact and aid in climate resiliency efforts across the globe, I’m here to show you an easy and free way to turn your everyday web browsing into tree-planting efforts in countries across the world.

Ever wondered how Google keeps its lights on? When you search for the latest news, complete your holiday shopping, or even research a new pet food brand, you are presented with curated advertisements which appear as the first few search results. These advertisements are how Google pays its operational costs and its CEO’s salary. I, as well as countless others worldwide, think that there are much better places where money could go.

Today I want to share with you one of the easiest ways you can make a difference in communities across the world, and it’s free! Ecosia is a search engine that operates in the same way as Google, Bing, Firefox, or Yahoo. The difference is that the ad revenue collected from your searches is donated to organizations that plant trees. As of today, the platform has planted over one hundred and sixty-one million trees worldwide and has had projects on all 7 continents! You can check out Ecosia’s Youtube channel, where they post tree updates as well as many other informative videos regarding other ways in which we can help the environment.

Since Ecosia’s inception in 2009, the platform has remained steadfast in its commitment to transparency. Not only are all your searches completely encrypted, but Ecosia also does not store any data from your searches and your information is never sold to third-party advertisers. In contrast with Google, it does not use your search history to create personalized advertisements for you. As found on their info page, Ecosia understands the importance of trust, which is why they publish a monthly financial overview that breaks down all of their spendings. These records are viewable for as far back as January 2015 and can be accessed from this link.

 Ecosia can easily be added to any device and can be made the default browser on your desktop or laptop, regardless of your operating system. More information about how to do so can be found here, on their website.

If you have a passion for keeping our soils rich, the air clean, and lands green; Ecosia is an easy and free way to take seemingly small actions and make huge impacts in communities around the world.