A new search engine powered by hydroelectricity has been hailed as the green alternative to Google.

Ekoru generates revenue just like any other search engine, but with each sponsored click 60% of revenue received is donated to ocean conservationists Big Blue Ocean Cleanup and Operation Posidonia. The company is also housed in a data centre which uses natural airflows instead of air conditioning.

Big Blue Ocean Cleanup supports volunteers remove plastic and debris from the ocean and other waterways, and also helps gather data on microplastic levels, while Cleanup works with teams to run cleanup events in their local area.

The impact of plastic on the worlds has increased to unprecedented levels. According to latest figures, up to 12.7 million tonnes enter the oceans each year, which is expected to outweigh fish by the year 2050. And according to UNESCO, more than 100,000 marine mammals die each year from plastic pollution, with nearly all seabirds (90%) having consumed plastic before.

The ethical search engine says it has seen an incredible response since it was launched, with the top 5 users coming from the US, the UK, Germany, France, and Canada.

Ekoru was founded by Australian tech entrepreneur Ati Bakush who started the search engine with his wife Alison Lee, because of a growing concern about ocean pollution. Ekoru uses the koru swirl in its logo, which is the New Zealand Maori symbol for regeneration and new life.

Ati said: 

We’ve seen that although people typically use the default search engine that comes their browser, they are willing to use a different search engine when presented with an ethical alternative. We’ve grown tremendously since we started purely by word of mouth as users who have discovered Ekoru recommend the search engine to their friends.

For more information visit https://www.ekoru.org/cause/ 

Image by Ekoru

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