Ecosia Is the Tree-Planting Search Engine You Didn’t Know You Needed
Meet Ecosia, the search engine that plants trees every time you click. Yup, you can save the planet without leaving your browser.
Click, Search, Grow
Some people doomscroll. Me? I tree-scroll. ecosia.org, a free search engine that uses its ad revenue to plant trees in biodiversity hotspots around the world.
I know — it sounds a little too feel-good to be true. But Ecosia isn’t just greenwashing your browser bar. This Berlin-based, not-for-profit company is the real deal, and it’s quietly turning your daily internet habits into reforestation fuel.
How Ecosia Works
Here’s the nutshell:
1. You search the internet using Ecosia (same way you’d use Google or Bing).
2. Ecosia makes money from search ads.
3. They use that money to fund tree-planting projects.
On average, it takes about 45 searches to fund one tree. Ecosia even publishes transparent financial reports and tree-planting receipts — yes, that’s a thing — so you can see where the money goes.
To date, they’ve helped plant over 225 million trees in countries like Brazil, Indonesia, and Burkina Faso.
What Makes It Different
They’re climate active, not just carbon neutral. Ecosia’s servers run on 100% renewable energy, and every search actually removes CO₂ from the atmosphere.
They support local communities, working with grassroots partners to grow native, climate-resilient species that support people, wildlife, and soil health.
They don’t sell your data or create personal profiles. No creepy targeted ads. No third-party trackers.
So… Is It Good?
Short answer: yes. Ecosia’s search is powered by Bing (plus their own algorithms), so the results are solid for most everyday stuff. Will it beat Google’s AI-powered black hole? Maybe not. But if you’re just looking up camping recipes or directions to the trailhead, it gets the job done — and does good in the process.
Field Tip: Set It and Tree-get It
Make Ecosia your default search engine (you can do this in most browsers in under 30 seconds). Then just… search like usual. You’ll see a little tree counter tick up in the corner, and boom — you’re officially a digital tree-hugger.
Not Sponsored, Just Stoked
Ecosia didn’t pay me to write this—I just genuinely think it’s cool when your internet rabbit holes can sprout actual trees. Use it, don’t use it. But if you do, you might help reforest part of the planet. That’s pretty cool.
