Wild Magazine spoke with Fred Henderson, a Project Coordinator and Partnerships Manager from Ecosia, an eco-friendly search engine, as part of the student-run Ecosia on Campus campaign at the University of York.
Fred visited York in November to present Ecosia’s eco-friendly business model and tree-planting initiatives to a range of staff, students and student union representatives; and spoke with the University’s IT Department about the logistics of a potential University-wide switchover to Ecosia.
We’re happy to announce that post-event, with key support from YUSU President Pierrick Roger and the University’s IT Services Team, Ecosia will become the default browser for all Classroom PCs across the University of York’s Campus! The University’s rollout will begin January 17th, with adoption across the University’s smaller Mac collection to follow at a later date.
Ecosia’s revenue model allows it to direct 100% of profits towards reforestation projects around the world, meaning roughly 50 Ecosia searches plant one tree.
As a campus of over 20,000 students, it’s exciting to see how the University of York’s sustainability contribution will grow with the power of eco-positive web searches!
If you’d like to start or get involved with an Ecosia on Campus campaign near you, you can register and learn more here!
Below is our Q&A with Ecosia’s visiting Project Coordinator and Partnerships Manager, Fred Henderson; we asked Fred more about Ecosia’s mission, its impact around the world, and how he first got involved as a student.
Can you share a bit on what Ecosia does? What is your role in the organisation?
Ecosia is a not-for-profit tech company that plants and protects trees. We dedicate 100% of our profits to the planet and are powering the regeneration by enabling people to be climate active every day. Collaborating with local communities, we have planted more than 160 million trees all over the world.
I work in Ecosia’s country development team where I support a range of initiatives in our core markets, from User Support through to Organisations using Ecosia.
What impact does Ecosia have around the world?
To date Ecosia has planted over 160 million trees in parts of the world where they are needed most. Each project serves a unique purpose for the local communities and climate. In Burkina Faso, for example, the 17 million trees Ecosia has planted are helping to restore a dry degraded landscape, turning a desert green. In Indonesia, where 25% of the country’s rainforests have been replaced by vast palm oil monocultures, Ecosia is restoring mixed forests on former plantations while creating alternative sources of income for land owners.
Where do the trees get planted and why? Does Ecosia do this directly?
Ecosia is currently working with more than 70 tree planting partners in over 35 countries around the world. Primarily focusing on the planet’s biodiversity hotspots and areas facing deforestation.
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