You search the web dozens of times each day. What if those searches planted trees?

Ecosia is a search engine based in Germany. It works like any other search tool. You type a query, and results appear. The difference is what happens next. Ecosia uses its ad revenue to fund tree planting projects around the world. About 30 to 50 searches generate enough income to plant one tree.

The company publishes monthly financial reports. These show exactly where the money goes and how many trees each project plants. Sites include reforestation zones in Brazil, Indonesia, Senegal, and dozens of other countries. The work addresses deforestation, soil erosion, and habitat loss on a global scale.

What Is Ecosia and How Does It Work?

Ecosia is a certified B Corporation founded in 2009. The search results come from Bing, so the quality matches what you expect from a major search engine. The interface is clean. Pages load fast.

Here is the basic model. Advertisers pay Ecosia when users click ads. Ecosia takes that revenue and directs most of it to tree planting organizations. The company reports that it has funded more than 200 million trees as of late 2024. A counter on your browser toolbar tracks your personal contribution.

The planting partners handle the actual work. Groups like Trees for the Future, Eden Reforestation Projects, and WeForest manage nurseries, train local workers, and monitor growth over time. Ecosia does not plant trees directly. It funds the people who do.

Why Tree Professionals in North Carolina Pay Attention

Our crew at Brown’s Arbor Care works in Durham, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, Mebane, and surrounding towns in the Research Triangle. We spend each week pruning, removing, and caring for mature trees. The species here tell a story of the region.

Durham has towering willow oaks along its older streets. Chapel Hill protects stands of white oak and hickory near campus. Hillsborough and Mebane feature long rows of loblolly pine. Greensboro spreads beneath red maples that throw wide shade in summer.

These trees took decades to reach their current size. A 60-year-old oak cools a home by 10 to 15 degrees on a July afternoon. A mature pine breaks wind across an open field. A hickory drops hundreds of pounds of nuts that feed squirrels, deer, and wild turkeys.

New seedlings cannot do this work. A sapling planted today will need 20, 30, or 40 years to reach canopy height. This is why our job matters. Keeping established trees healthy extends their value for another generation.

Ecosia works on a different front. It funds planting in places where forests have been cleared, burned, or degraded. The scale is different. The timeline is different. But the underlying goal is the same: more trees on the ground, doing work that benefits people and wildlife.

Common Questions About Ecosia

Is Ecosia Legit?

Yes. Ecosia is a certified B Corporation. It publishes monthly financial reports that show revenue, expenses, and tree planting totals. Third-party auditors verify the numbers. The company is based in Berlin and operates under German privacy law.

What Are the Downsides of Ecosia?

Ecosia depends on ad clicks for revenue. If you use an ad blocker, your searches do not generate income. Search results come from Bing, so the indexing may lag behind Google for fast-moving topics. Ecosia itself does not plant trees or manage long-term forest care. Partner organizations handle that work, and quality varies by project.

Is Ecosia Safe to Use?

Ecosia does not sell user data. The company clears search logs within seven days. All traffic runs through encrypted connections. Privacy-focused users sometimes pair Ecosia with a VPN for extra protection.

Is Ecosia Run by Google?

No. Ecosia is an independent company. It licenses search technology from Microsoft Bing. Google has no ownership stake or operational role.

Is Google Better Than Ecosia?

Google offers faster indexing, more features, and deeper integration with other Google products. Ecosia directs ad revenue toward reforestation. The choice depends on what you value. Many users keep both options available and switch based on the task.

How to Set Up Ecosia as Your Default Search Engine

The process takes about two minutes.

Go to ecosia.org. Click the button to add the browser extension. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge all support it. The extension sets Ecosia as your default search engine and adds a tree counter to your toolbar.

On mobile, download the Ecosia app from the App Store or Google Play. Open the app and use it for searches instead of your default browser. The counter syncs across devices if you create an account.

That is the entire setup. Use the search engine as you normally would. Each search adds to your count. Over a year of regular use, you can fund 10 to 20 trees without changing your daily habits.

Two Ways to Support Trees

Tree people think on two tracks at once.

The first track is local. It means keeping the trees in your yard healthy. Proper pruning extends the life of a mature oak by decades. Removing deadwood prevents storm damage. Crown lifting lets light reach your lawn and garden. These actions protect trees that already provide shade, habitat, and property value.

The second track is global. It means supporting reforestation in places that need it. Ecosia offers one simple way to do this. You search the web anyway. The search can fund a seedling in Senegal or Indonesia. The tree grows whether you visit or not.

Both tracks matter. One does not replace the other.

Tree Care Services in the Research Triangle

Brown’s Arbor Care serves homeowners throughout the Triangle. We handle pruning, removal, stump grinding, planting, and storm cleanup. Our service area includes Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough, Mebane, Burlington, and Greensboro.

We start each job with a site visit. We look at the tree, the property, and the owner’s goals. Then we build a plan that fits the situation. No two trees are alike, and no two yards present the same challenges.

If you have questions about a tree on your property, reach out. We can walk the site, assess the health of the tree, and recommend a path forward. Your trees deserve attention. So do the forests that Ecosia plants on the other side of the world.

Contact Brown’s Arbor Care for a free consultation on your trees in the Research Triangle area.

How Ecosia Plants Trees With Your Web Searches (Plus Local Triangle Programs)