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Purchases that Give Back

Purchases that Give Back
As more businesses and companies become aware of their power, influence and resources capable of sparking global change, there are more ways for consumers to make purchases that give back to important causes.

Passive Fundraising Programs

Many search engines and online shopping companies utilize passive fundraising to encourage donations without any extra effort from consumers.

  • AmazonSmile – AmazonSmile donates 0.5% of consumers’ eligible purchases on Amazon to a charity of their choice simply by shopping as you would normally. With no need to create a separate account or pay any additional fees, AmazonSmile makes it easy for consumers to donate to nonprofits and charity organizations while completing their normal shopping. AmazonSmile gives consumers the option to donate to almost one 1 million different public charitable organizations, including The Borgen Project, the World Wildlife Fund and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
  • Ecosia – Ecosia is a search engine part of the Microsoft Search Network which donates most of its expendable funds to tree-planting organizations. Since its foundation in 2009, it has planted more than 70 million trees, as of 2019, by using revenue from ads, online traffic and collecting profits per click. The company also acquires its energy in an eco-friendly approach with solar farms that power the search engine itself.
  • Give with Bing – Give with Bing is another initiative by Microsoft which allows people to join the free Microsoft Rewards program to donate to charities of their choice. Reward points automatically go toward the cause when searching with Bing’s search engine, at no additional cost. It rewards consumers for completing activities that they would complete anyway, such as shopping, searching and gaming. Consumers can also redeem their points for gift cards or sweepstakes entries.
  • Altruisto – Altruisto is another passive fundraising tool, which comes in the form of a Google Chrome extension, which gives a portion of the money that consumers pay to selected charities. A community interest company called Well-Managed World C.I.C manages it. As consumers install the Chrome extension onto their devices and buy from Altruisto’s partners’ stores online, usually 2% to 6% of their total goes to charities and causes such as extreme poverty, COVID-19, malaria and the global water crisis – without any additional costs to buyers. This allows consumers to make purchases that give back to causes they believe in with no hassle.

Sustainability and Environmentally-Friendly Programs

Businesses and companies are beginning to realize the importance of promoting sustainability programs considering the impact that large-scale production and consumption have on the environment. Though consumer practices also contribute to changing weather patterns, the majority of emissions come from big businesses, as only 100 companies are responsible for 71% of greenhouse gas emissions. As changing weather patterns continue to worsen, including the drought and severe heat which have characterized the summer of 2022 across many continents, businesses are putting in more effort to reduce their contribution to excessive waste, carbon emission levels, and other practices that put climate stability at risk. 

  • Nike – Nike has made efforts to increase its green initiatives by creating a line of sustainable products and using renewable energy sources for its products. Its main goals have been to reduce its carbon footprint, eliminate waste, conserve water, eliminate hazardous chemicals and responsibly source its products. As of the fiscal year of 2020, 78% of Nike’s owned or operated facilities use renewable energy and all of their footwear manufacturing waste is diverted from landfills. Nike has also endorsed its written environmental policies to 650 of its suppliers in 52 different countries.
  • Starbucks – Starbucks has committed to Carbon Neutral Green Coffee, water conservation and responsible sourcing of its coffee. As of 2022, the areas of focus include expanding plant-based menu options, utilizing reusable packaging as opposed to single-use packaging, investing in regenerative agriculture and forest conservation and improving waste management. Starbucks has also partnered with and joined organizations such as the U.N. Global Compact CEO Water Mandate, the Water Resilience Coalition and Conservation International to improve their water agenda and reach their goal of 50% conservation in water usage by 2030.
  • Disney – The entertainment company has taken a social responsibility in protecting the planet in its initiatives and goals to create zero emissions, reduce waste, lower impact products and build sustainably. The company has established policies for zero waste and emissions to reduce landfills as carbon fuels and to create a net positive environmental impact. With projects in progress to create solar facilities, Disney is currently expected to make 40% of its electricity come from renewable energy sources.

Companies and programs like Amazon Smile make it convenient and easy for consumers to donate to charities and nonprofit organizations that they are passionate about and make purchases that give back.

– Nethya Samarakkodige
Photo: Flickr

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Search Engine Ecosia Uses Revenue to Reforest

Ecosia
As of 2015, less than one-third of our planet’s surface contains forests, and that percentage continues to decrease. According to the World Wildlife Fund, approximately 18.7 million acres of forest are destroyed annually. But a search engine called Ecosia is on a mission to help.

The Problem With Deforestation

Deforestation rates have slowed down somewhat since peak levels in the 1990s. Nevertheless, the Earth continues to lose this ecosystem at an alarming rate. Forests are home to an estimated 80 percent of the world’s non-aquatic species. The Amazon rainforest alone shelters an estimated 2,000 animal species and 40,000 plant species. As the world’s forests are gradually destroyed, millions of plants and animals lose their habitats. It is possible that, due to deforestation, countless species have gone extinct before they were ever discovered by humans.

In addition, forests play a number of roles in maintaining a safe and habitable environment. Forests are carbon sinks, meaning that they absorb large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, thereby helping to maintain a balanced and habitable climate. The loss of forests is responsible for at least 15 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to rising temperatures, extreme weather conditions and an increasing number of dangerous storms. These changes have the potential to make human life more difficult and dangerous, and people in impoverished countries often face the greatest risks.

What is Ecosia?

Ecosia is a web search engine founded in 2009 and based in Berlin, Germany. The brainchild of Christian Kroll, Ecosia was created as a “social business” with the primary objective of helping the world. For most businesses, profit comes first and service projects second. Ecosia has turned this order on its head.

Like other search engines, Ecosia makes money off of ads in internet searches. But unlike other engines, 80 percent of Ecosia’s revenue is used to plant trees in countries suffering from heavy deforestation and to fund reforestation projects. The search page also comes with a tree counter, allowing users to see how many trees their searches have planted so far.

As of 2018, Ecosia is contributing to reforestation efforts in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, and South America. Its projects target biodiversity hotspots containing a high number of plants and animals without alternative habitats. Many of these areas are at risk of disappearing. By reforesting these areas, Ecosia’s efforts are preventing countless species from going extinct.

Agricultural Benefits of Reforestation

Forests are vital to the health and safety of agriculture. Apart from maintaining a healthy climate and biodiversity, trees prevent erosion by holding soil. Without this protection from erosion, good soil is lost, and agriculture becomes significantly more difficult.

Trees also shield smaller crops from violent storms and channel nutrients to surrounding plants. They provide habitats for bees and other pollinators, facilitating natural fertilization of crops and plants. Perhaps most importantly, trees aid in precipitation. By drawing groundwater through their roots and evaporating it through their leaves, the water can return as rain. Not long after the reforestation project in Burkina Faso commenced, rainfall became more frequent in the semi-desertic area.

By setting the groundwork to create better and more sustainable conditions for agriculture, Ecosia is helping rural communities around the world improve their livelihoods.

Community Benefits of Reforestation

While reforestation efforts are inherently beneficial to the environment, Ecosia also ensures that local communities benefit from their projects. Many of the company’s efforts focus on planting trees that are useful to local farmers. One example is Ecosia’s project in Ghana, where more than 900,000 trees were planted along the Daka River. Most of these trees were fruit or nut trees. These trees not only helped restore and maintain the water level of the river but provided local people with food. Through the harvesting and selling of shea nuts, the plants also created new economic opportunities.

Finally, Ecosia projects bring communities out of poverty by employing locals to plant trees. The company provides a stable source of income for people in areas where jobs and money are scarce.

How to Help

Ecosia can be downloaded for free as an extension for browsers including Safari, Firefox and Google Chrome. It is also offered as an app on iOS or Android. So far, nearly 6 million people have begun using Ecosia, leading to the planting of more than 40 million trees. By 2020, the company hopes to have planted at least 1 billion, reviving broken habitats and contributing to a sustainable future.

–Keira Charles
Photo: Flickr