Ecosia: The Little Search Engine Who Could

If you’re a follower of tech and anti-trust law, you’re aware that Google was found guilty of anti-competitive practices a year ago.  Since then, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta has been considering behavioral remedies to correct Google’s naughty behavior.

But what you may have missed in the lead-up to this remedy was a creative proposal proffered to the court by a small German tech company, Ecosia – which prompted me to write this and elevate Ecosia for those of you who don’t know about this environmental gem of a company.

A Cure for the Common Monopoly?

The court’s remedies were judged by most as mild.  One potential outcome many had foreseen – but did not happen – was that Google would be forced to part with its Chrome browser.  This was at the heart of Ecosia’s proposal.

Ecosia’s pitch was to turn over custodianship of the Chrome browser to Ecosia for a term of 10 years, during which it would funnel a majority of profits from its operation into climate solutions. After ten years, it would be transferred to another purpose-driven organization.   

For all intents and purposes, this would have turned Chrome into a public trust of sorts.

The financial impact of this approach is eye-popping.  Ecosia would pay Google $400 billion in compensation for Chrome. Over a decade of operation, Ecosia says its operation of Chrome could generate as much as $1 trillion for environmental causes.

$1 trillion.  So instead of headlines about Tesla’s board of directors crafting a trillion-dollar pay package for you know who, we’d have a similar amount invested in protecting rainforests, reforestation on a massive scale, planetary justice, and clean energy.

The idea even got seconded as being “clever” by TechCrunch.

A pity the judge didn’t force Google to relinquish Chrome and then place it into an impactful option like this.

Here’s How Ecosia Works

While it didn’t land the Great White Whale, Ecosia still effects significant environmental impact by giving the minnows among us searching for a safe and healthy breeding grounds.

Ecosia has a simple operating strategy.  It operates its own search engine, the underlying technology provided primarily by Microsoft’s Bing, and it retains a slice of advertising revenues when ads are displayed in your search results.

Ecosia then uses the proceeds to plant trees around the world.

Ecosia has been at this since 2009.  The Berlin company is a Certified B Corporation – Germany’s first – and contributes 100% of its profits to climate-action projects. To date, it has planted nearly 240 million trees and dedicated more than $100 million dollars to climate initiatives.

Ecosia’s mission is locked-in as it’s a steward-owned company.  It also provides super-transparent financial reporting.

Now that’s impact.

Searching for Meaning and Finding It

I’ve been using Ecosia search for years and from a user standpoint have always been happy with its results.  As far as impact, I’ve been far more than satisfied – for me, it’s a simple and seamless way to carve off dollars from the behemoths and redirect them to environmental impact.

You can download Ecosia for your desktop search here, and it’s also available on the Google and Apple app stores.  And something I just discovered is that Ecosia launched its own browser last year, the “Greenest Browser on Earth.”  It operates on the same revenue-sharing, impact-creating model as its search product.  You can learn more and download it here.

As far as browsers go, I’ve been a longtime Firefox guy because its governing body, Mozilla, is a nonprofit, open-source organization focused on user security.

I’ve always loved those attributes of Firefox and its “indie” positioning among the tech giants.  But I think I’m just going to have to give the Ecosia browser a go.

You?

Godspeed, friends.

Russ

💬 Think About It

"Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party." Jimmy Buffett

💥 Quick Hits

•            Can Patagonia move the environmental needle in foods? – An interesting look at the company's long history working to create environmental impact in the food system – from sardines to kernza. (New York Times gift article)

•            The visual narrative around the environment moves in cycles – Who would know better what images to use when promoting sustainability than a stock photo house? The VisualGPS report from Getty Images is both fascinating and useful.

•            Variable meal pricing: To many, Mark Bittman's writing represents the food bible. He's now started a nonprofit restaurant called Community Kitchen that offers fine dining with healthy, sustainable food with variable pricing for as little as $15/plate. Sign us up! (Fast Company)

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