Ecocho was a
search engine
A search engine is a software system designed to carry out web searches. They search the World Wide Web in a systematic way for particular information specified in a textual web search query. The search results are generally presented in a ...
with the aim of offsetting
carbon emissions
Greenhouse gas emissions from human activities strengthen the greenhouse effect, contributing to climate change. Most is carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels: coal, oil, and natural gas. The largest emitters include coal in China and larg ...
by donating 70% of revenues to '
carbon offset credits'. The site launched on 14 April 2008.
It is owned by the Found Agency, a search engine optimisation company.
The Ecocho search was powered by
Yahoo!
Yahoo! (, styled yahoo''!'' in its logo) is an American web services provider. It is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and operated by the namesake company Yahoo Inc., which is 90% owned by investment funds managed by Apollo Global Man ...
after a termination of their account with
Google
Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...
.
For every 1,000 searches, Ecocho claimed that 1 ton of greenhouse gases are offset through the planting of trees. However, the precise amount was not given, nor were the number of searches performed on the site. Rather, the website maintained a tally of trees planted and of kilograms of offset.
Google violations
On 22 April 2008, Ecocho was informed by Google that they would be denied the use of Google's search technologies for multiple past violations of Google's policies.
The issue has been discussed on the Ecocho blog.
The mixed reactions from users can be seen in the blog comments, some taking further action by complaining to Google, and others agreeing with Google. The registration of the domain name "ecocho.co.uk" expired on March 10, 2009, and it was activated again for a short period of time with few variations in graphics from June 2009, until it was finally closed between 2011 and 2012.
See also
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Carbon offset
A carbon offset is a reduction or removal of emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases made in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere. Offsets are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2e). One ton of carbon ...
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Global warming
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...
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Ecosia
Ecosia is a search engine based in Berlin, Germany. Ecosia considers itself a social business, claiming to be CO2-negative, supports full financial transparency and protects the privacy of its users.
Ecosia is B Lab-certified, meeting its ...
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Forestle
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List of search engines
Search engines, including web search engines, selection-based search engines, metasearch engines, desktop search tools, and web portals and vertical market websites have a search facility for online databases.
By content/topic
General ...
References
External links
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Carbon finance
Defunct internet search engines
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