Guest post by Lauren Greenwood from UARK for Ecosia.
July 22, 2021 Update: UARK for Ecosia is petitioning for the University to use Ecosia as our default browser! Read the petition here. If you sign, remember that donating goes to Change, not the actual petition organizers.
Heading back to school this semester means even more time on the Internet, from class assignments to research to using YouTube in our downtime. But this semester, we could be fighting climate change from our bedrooms, and planting trees while studying for our tests though a web browser–Ecosia.
What it is:
Ecosia is a search engine that plants trees. They use money from advertisements to fund reforestation projects around the world. More users and more searches fund more trees, which are an EXCELLENT way to absorb and sequester carbon from our atmosphere. Ecosia also powers their searches with renewable energy from their own solar energy plants, while other engines may be powered through fossil fuels. Simply by searching with Ecosia, you are mitigating CO2 from our atmosphere!
Climate change means more severe weather, droughts, fires, heat, deforestation, loss and destruction of agricultural lands– just to name a few. Good news is, we can help. If Ecosia was as big as Google, it could absorb 15% of all global emissions. Now imagine all 28,000 University of Arkansas students, plus our faculty and staff, searching with Ecosia–it’s a huge step in the right direction. Fighting the climate crisis will take massive policy changes, international cooperation, and a myriad of systemic changes, which we don’t always have individual control over. Ecosia is one of the many ways we can make a difference on our own while advocating for larger change.
The Plan:
My goal is for the UofA to make Ecosia the default search engine on all university computers, and to encourage all students to make the switch on their personal computers.
How to Help Make it Happen:
- Students can download Ecosia through the special UARK link on all their devices
- Our special link will keep track of how many trees we plant as a UARK community
- We can then use this data to show our University what an impact we can make, encouraging administration to hopefully make the switch
How to Download:
- Uninstall Ecosia (if you already have it)
- Clear your cookies and cache
- Click this link: https://info.ecosia.org/?tt=f46f2ed5 and download for your phone/computer!
Get Involved:
- Follow @uarkforecosia on instagram
- Spread the word to all faculty and students!
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