IMPACTFUL ALTERNATIVE SEARCH ENGINE!

 

This is an alternative search engine for Google that will hopefully give you insights as to what search engine you should start using. 

Alternative Search Engine: Ecosia 

    “A tree for every search”. This is the centric goal of Ecosia (https://www.ecosia.org/). It was founded by Christian Kroll, in December 2009 and is based in Berlin, Germany. He saw the vital role of trees in maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Christian knew how profitable search engines are, pursuing him to create a search engine that uses its profit solely for ecological aid. Ecosia was therefore born, the first ‘not-for-profit’ search engine. 

     In 2017, Ecosia produced twice as much renewable energy to power online search engines globally. It uses solar plants and quotes that “Each search with Ecosia removed 0.5 kg of CO2 from the air”, making the search engine carbon-negative. Moreover in 2022, with Ecosia’s efforts, 160 million trees were planted across 35 countries worldwide. Currently, it has over 200 million trees planted. Ecosia is also listed as one of the privacy-safe search engines. It doesn’t track your searches, store personal data, or sell your information to advertisers. Its interface is also simpler and less cluttered, giving straightforward and user-friendly search results to users without distracting clutters of extra features present in Google. 

     Google’s search engine focuses on result relevance and search accuracy. On the other hand, Ecosia focuses on environmentally inclined projects as part of its online search. Indeed, it is not as accurate and reliable when it comes to search results as Google, but of course, what’s the use of gathering information when all rooted wisdom is used to nurture our capabilities as humans in developing ways to make the world better? 100% of Ecosia’s profits go to the environment. Even the smallest search, at a larger quantity, can make a difference in the world. So, why not sacrifice some bit of accuracy when in return, you’re also saving the planet you highly depend on? 

     In conclusion, Ecosia is a clear and effective alternative for Google. It may not be as precise and accurate in projecting search results, but it is more effective in maintaining user privacy, and as a user-friendly platform. As it evolves, it will undergo developments, the important thing is that its foundation is rooted in saving our beloved mother nature through its not-for-profit system in dedicating its whole existence to ecological rehabilitation and development. 

References: 

•  About Ecosia https://ecosia.helpscoutdocs.com/article/406-about-ecosia 
•  Ecosia, Carbon negative https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hfr4nGq2G2U 
•  Ecosia, Not-for-profit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al0qY4dBUgo