April 18, 2008 – (HOSTSEARCH.COM) – ecocho (http://www.ecocho.co.uk), an “ultra ecological search engine” has been launched in the United Kingdom and 14 other countries, it was announced recently. An Australian initiative powered by Google and Yahoo, ecochois utilizes green power generated through the purchase of carbon-offset credits from the New South Wales Government Greenhouse Gas Abatement Scheme (GGAS). The site sponsors the planting of up to “two trees for every 1000 searches made”.
"In the UK alone, people conduct over 1.5 billion Internet searches a month,” suggested Tim Macdonald, ecocho.com’s Founder. “If we can capture just one per cent of that traffic, we will make a significant contribution towards lowering the impact of harmful greenhouse gas emissions."
"ecocho.co.uk aims to reinvest 70 per cent of the site's revenue in carbon-offset credits and as the site progresses, we'll begin to support similar carbon-offsetting schemes in other states and countries," added Mr Macdonald. "The search engine is one of the easiest ways people can change their everyday behavior to make a positive impact on the environment."
