By Benoit
Hello all,
In this section we will approach the ecological theme (oh the great surprise!) But from a somewhat different angle. Very often, we think that to save the planet, we must radically change the way we consume and think about our world. Unsurprisingly, it is a reality! Nevertheless ! At Essence Box, we have decided to tackle small everyday ecological gestures (PGE "Petits gestes écologiques" in french). You know, all those little things that go big.
Indeed, ecology can sometimes be simple, or even simplify your life! And I was keen to present to you a search engine that I have been using for a very long time and which has an ecological vocation, I named ECOSIA.
Search Engine ? What's this ?
A search engine is, as its name suggests, a tool that allows you to do research on the internet. Quite often, this is the first page when you "launch the internet" and quite often this search engine is called Google. Google is a very efficient tool, it finds what you are looking for much more easily than any other search engine. Because yes, we all use Google, but there are many other search engines. Duck duck go, Qwant, Yahoo !, Bing, etc ... Each has its own peculiarities, strengths and advantages. Duck duck go for example emphasizes respect for private life, Qwant does the same but with a more targeted approach on sharing. And among them, there is Écosia.
The search engine that plants trees.
I'm not going to sell Ecosia to you above all else. After all, a search engine is all about habit and reflex, and there are enough of them for you to find the one that's right for you. I will rather share my feedback with you. Écosia has become my favorite for a few years. I know for a fact that it is less efficient than Google. But the idea that my internet research could plant trees appealed to me.
At first, I kind of forced myself. It was for me a way of giving him a chance at the "small" ecological search engine against the American giant that is Google. Then very quickly, it became a habit, a reflex. I often watched the number of trees planted which was constantly increasing (because yes, when you arrive on www.ecosia.org you are entitled to a small inventory of reforestation, the number of trees planted is constantly updated. ), it had become, in a way, a form of game and reward. Little by little, I started to really follow their activities, read their blog and follow their adventures. I ended up realizing that the principle was clever! They use advertising revenue to finance reforestation actions! Ads are part of our daily life, they have become a source of income for a lot of companies and rather than taking a negative look at them, using ads in this way is really a concept that I like!
Transparency : a key word !
Most of the search engines use, in addition to advertising revenue, the resale of data to finance themselves. They do not specifically sell your name and address but rather a "profile": 40s, passionate about fishing, living in the region of ... etc ... But in addition to its ecological aspect, Écosia is a search engine that respects your privacy, they do not sell any of your data to anyone. And it's a feeling that suits me well: serenity! By dint of reading their financial reports and following their international missions, Écosia has, unlike many other search engines, gained my trust! I feel serene using it, I know that my little internet research helps, on my scale, our planet a little more.
The perfect search engine?
No. Clearly, Écosia is not the perfect search engine. It is often more than sufficient and knows how to give me a lot of information that I am looking for, but when it becomes too precise and you dig into a particular area while being a little too focused, finding an answer becomes complicated. However, for all the daily questions, to choose a place of vacation, to find geographical information, on such or such region, Écosia works perfectly! I have been using it for several years now in conjunction with Google, which clearly remains the most efficient search engine. But nearly 80% of my searches go through Écosia and I alternate when I dig a little too much. In the end, I found a good balance between the two.
The advantages of Écosia :
- Respect your private life.
- Transparency: no resale of your information, publication of financial statements, etc.
- The blog part which allows you to follow the evolution of the different missions.
- A cute and meaningful logo!
The inconvenients :
- Not very precise research when you want to be picky.
- Suddenly, obligation to continue to use Google.
