Today, EcosiaThe world’s biggest non-profit search engine announces the global launch of an eco-friendly web browser. The Ecosia Browser is available for desktops via download pages and on mobiles via app stores. It extends the mission of the company to be an environmental leader, giving users the power to transform online browsing into a real-world impact.
Ecosia was founded by Christian Kroll, in 2009. It launched as a privacy focused search engine that did not collect user data and create profiles. Michael Metcalf is the Chief Product Officer. Find out more.
A planet-first mission
Ecosia is a mission-driven company that operates differently from other startups and scale-ups.
This tech company has donated 100 percent of profits back to the environment and worked with communities from over 35 different countries to plant 200 million trees. Ecosia became the first German company to receive the B Corporation accreditation in 2014. In 2017, it constructed the first in a portfolio of solar power plants that can now generate enough energy to run all search engines twice.
Ecosia donated its shares in 2018 to the Purpose Foundation to make sure that they can’t be sold, and no one can benefit or get dividends, not even the founder.
Metcalf explains:
We’ve been investing in solar power for several years. Currently, we use around 200 percent of our energy consumption for Ecosia search. The grid is flooded with clean energy including 25Wh extra per user.
Ecosia invests its profits in climate change initiatives. This includes tree planting, solar investment (EUR37million invested so far — companies like Zolar, which Receive a 10% discount “A EUR23-million investment by Ecosia is expected in 2022), Wind Power and Regenerative Agriculture Wildfarming.”
Carbon offset is not the only way to reduce carbon emissions
Ecosia’s focus on regeneration holistically of biodiversity hotspots is one of its most attractive features. It does not have a carbon offset program. Carbon offsetting by planting trees is problematic as a method because it takes a very long time for the trees to fully absorb the CO2.
Metcalf explains:
Our tree team is made up of experts in forestry, nature conservation, economics, and social science. They are all focused on identifying the best partners, working with the communities and selecting the correct species for our trees to thrive.”
Reforestation specialists at the company have a holistic, long-term vision.
“We don’t plant monocultures. “We don’t plant monocultures.”
We monitor our trees for at least three years, using geotagging, photography, and satellite technology. We’ve recently announced a collaboration with SpaceTech. Kanop Satellite images of biomass can be used to monitor our tree planting projects.
Ecosia Browser was not the first privacy-focused browser. Brave, Tor Firefox DuckDuckGo and Vivaldi are all privacy-first browsers.
Metcalf detailed:
Our ad-blocker reduces energy usage and the gathering of data about users. “The lower energy consumption extends the battery life, and uses less electricity.
The Ecosia Browser, built on Chromium and enhanced with robust security features such as password management, SSL encryption, is an extension of the Chromium browser. The Ecosia Browser is optimised for speed. It loads pages up to three-times faster than mainstream browsers.
The Ecosia browser is the first in the world to produce green energy. It produces enough energy from renewable sources to run searches. Double Over.
Ecosia commits to generate 25Wh more of clean energy for each user every day that they surf — this is enough to run a bulb for 3 hours.
Breaking up the Big Tech Monopoly
Consider that Google is at 65 percent, while Safari has 19%. Ecosia faces a daunting task in changing the browsing habits of consumers. The EU’s recent Digital Markets Act The (DMA), which could disrupt Big Tech’s dominant position and mark a significant step towards fair competition on the EU search market, may help to achieve this.
Metcalf acknowledges it’s hard to predict the impact of DIMA in reality:
It’s still early for us to tell if Ecosia is a good choice. This shows that users will choose an alternative search engine and browser when given the chance.
Apple has been charged by the EC with a further investigation into their DMA implementation.
It is difficult to report the results of the selection screen as we haven’t received any meaningful data.
Ecosia AI Chat
Ecosia browser’s integration of AI generative is one of its most intriguing features. LLMs require a lot of computing power.
Researchers SemiAnalysis estimated that to implement an AI like ChatGPT in every Google search, an annual consumption of electricity would be 29.2 TWh. This is about the amount Ireland uses every year. Fortunately Nvidia and Google are unlikely to meet this requirement any time soon.
Metcalf says that the company conducted a number of tests to determine the carbon footprint of its chatbot.
Ecosia will invest in renewable agriculture and solar energy to offset this additional carbon footprint.
This is just an estimate, he says. “As OpenAI and other vendors do not share data on carbon impacts with their customers yet — we’re pushing for clarity. We won’t expand our AI offerings until we’re sure that it will not have a negative impact.”
Ecosia browsers offer users a variety of green features, including the green leaf icon and climate pledge rating. They also have a newly-launched AI Chat powered by OpenAI.
The company claims that the AI chat generates “greener answers” by using a multi-layered persona. This allows users to receive sustainable, tailored solutions. Users can shop sustainably with a ‘Partnership Shop.
The landing page is available for desktop users Here is a link to the article.