What they cover
Ecosia is both a search engine and a tree-planting organization. As a search engine, it uses Bing's API with its own ranking refinements. As an organization, it uses approximately 80% of surplus ad revenue to fund tree planting and ecosystem restoration projects across 35+ countries. Over 200 million trees planted. The company runs on 200% renewable energy and publishes monthly financial reports.
Why they matter
Ecosia demonstrates that a technology company can be structured around environmental impact rather than shareholder returns. Their radical transparency (monthly financial reports, named planting projects, specific tree counts) sets a standard that other purpose-driven companies should be held to. The search experience is functional (powered by Bing), and the impact is real and measurable. For a zero-effort switch that funds reforestation with every search, there is no equivalent.
How to engage
Switch your default search engine to Ecosia (browser extension, mobile app, or manual default change). Each search funds approximately 1/45th of a tree. Share with others. Every additional user amplifies the revenue pool for tree planting.
Start here
Visit their tree-planting page to see active projects by country, tree species, and community impact. The monthly financial reports show exactly how ad revenue translates to trees planted.