Do your bit for nature as you browse the Internet. These four eco-friendly search engines will help you save the planet, one click at a time
Blackle
Log on to: www.blackle.com
What to expect: This is what can happen if Google goes over to the dark side or has a blackout. Staying true to its name, it’s a near replica of Google albeit in black. Plus, the searches are powered by Google custom search.
USP: Blackle saves energy because the screen is predominantly black. It is based on the concept that colour settings and desktop graphics consume more power to display. They draw reference to a blog post, which claims that a black Google will save 750 Megawatt-hours per year. The website admits that while this figure may be debatable, even if the energy savings are small, it adds up in the long run.
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Znout
Log on to: in.znout.org
What to expect: It resembles the Google webpage in its stark white homepage and links to Wikipedia as well. It is powered by a Google custom search and the site also lists how many hours worth of searches have been “made green.”
USP: Znout stands for zero negative output. It’s a carbon dioxide neutral Internet search engine that converts your web searches into green web searches. This is done by monitoring the energy consumption by Znout servers, its network infrastructure and of the user. After each month, renewable energy certificates (like carbon credits) are bought from advertising revenue to balance out the environmental footprint caused by Znout.
Green Maven
Log on to: www.greenmaven.com
What to expect: They have a busy search page with thumbnail details of sites that are featured by the engine, new product reviews and book reviews. There’s a Green Website directory to find eco-friendly options for every aspect of
daily life.
USP: Green Maven searches only approved green websites, meaning that you will find more green results. The search engine covers eco-fashion, health, wellness and sustainable tourism among other topics.
Ecosia
Log on to: ecosia.org
What to expect: The homepage is literally green with images of greenery as the backdrop. It throws up results that are very similar to Google search results.
USP: When you click on an interesting sponsored link on the webpage, a portion of money goes to Ecosia, and the site donates at least 80% of this income to support WWF’s work in the Amazon.u00a0
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