You may have come across many private companies that try to solve economic, social, and environmental problems through their social engagement. But how does it work and which methods prove to be really efficient?
In this blog, I am going to introduce you to a social enterprise that has done some remarkable work in this regard, namely Ecosia. Ecosia is a search engine that aims to change the rules of business by using the profits from your searches to plant trees around the world - in the right way and at the right time.
In their YouTube channel, they lay out their inspiration, their cause, and future plans for the future - some of which I will also present below.
Amidst private companies whose mission is hijacked by shareholders and non-governmental organizations whose mission is slowed down and overburdened by bureaucratic paperwork, Ecosia wants to find a middle ground in the corporate environment.
How did they do it?
First and foremost, they signed an irreversible contract with a foundation that makes it impossible to ever sell the company to ensure that their profits would always be invested in their mission - to make our planet a greener, better place.
The main way they are trying to change the rules for businesses is to become a carbon-negative (you heard me right) company - so Ecosia is going beyond carbon neutrality (something only a handful of companies will achieve in the next 10 years).
But is carbon neutrality enough? According to Ecosia: no.
That's why their goal is not to be sustainable, but regenerative.
Today, Ecosia produces twice as much energy for all your searches with the help of solar cells and also plants one TREE for every 45 searches!
So let us get back to the benefits that this company offers:
Actively removes CO2 from the atmosphere
Regenerates the soil
Strengthens local communities
Pretty cool, right?
And you can help them for free just by doing what you do every day: searching online.
Written by Aurora Hyseni