Ekoru, a Search Engine That Lets Users Clean and Reforest Oceans With Every Search

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, March 17, 2020 (Newswire.com) - ​​Ekoru.org, a search engine powered by hydroelectricity, is giving environmentally-conscious users an alternative to Google, allowing them to reforest and clean plastic from the ocean with every search. 

Ekoru is easy to use and can be accessed from computers or mobile devices by visiting www.ekoru.org to search for web, news, image, and video content. Ekoru supports multiple browsers with extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge and an Android app. 

Ekoru servers are powered by hydroelectricity, reducing the environmental footprint of every search.

Ekoru generates revenue from sponsored links, which appear above search results. If a sponsored link is clicked, Ekoru receives income from that click. Sixty percent of revenue is donated to ocean conservation partners Big Blue Ocean Cleanup and Operation Posidonia.

Big Blue Ocean Cleanup supports volunteer cleanup teams worldwide that clean waterways, coastal areas, and oceans, also gathering research data from water samples to measure the presence of microplastic.

Operation Posidonia, led by University New South Wales, combat climate change by replanting ocean seagrass, which are the "forests of our oceans." Their techniques have seen an unprecedented 90% survival rate of replanted seagrass and are shared with institutions worldwide.   

Up to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic enter oceans each year (Science Journal) and is expected to outweigh fish by 2050 (McKinsey). Over 100,000 marine mammals die each year from plastic (UNESCO), and 90% of seabirds have consumed plastic (PNAS).

2019 was a record year in CO2 emissions (Global Carbon Project), and ocean seagrass helps counter this by absorbing up to 83,000 tonnes of carbon per square kilometer and storing carbon up to 40 times faster than tropical rain forests (Operation Posidonia). Seagrass meadows are being lost at a rate of two football fields every hour. 

Ekoru is a privacy search engine that does not collect user data. Unlike other search engines, searches are anonymous and no information is stored on their servers.

According to Ekoru Founder Ati Bakush, "We've seen that search results are a commodity with ethical demand elasticity, and users are open to change when presented with an ethical alternative. Users who have discovered Ekoru recommend the search engine to their friends."

About Ekoru: Ekoru was started by Ati Bakush, an Australian with two decades of experience in software development for telecommunication providers in South East Asia, and his Malaysian wife Alison Lee, a veteran marketing and communications executive. Living in Kuala Lumpur with their four children, with a concern over ocean pollution from Asia, they decided to use their collective skills to try and make a difference.

The koru swirl is a New Zealand Maori symbol for regeneration and new life represented by an unfurling silver fern leaf. 

Contact: Alison Lee ([email protected])

Links: Video (https://youtu.be/PQMC73NqAEA ) Cause (https://www.ekoru.org/cause/)

Source: Ekoru.org