A Search Engine Just Planted Its 250 Millionth Tree

Every time someone runs a web search on Ecosia, a few cents of advertising revenue trickle toward planting a tree. On Earth Day 2026, those cents added up to a landmark: 250 million trees planted around the world since the Berlin-based non-profit search engine was founded in 2009. To mark the moment, founder Christian Kroll planted a tree alongside Germany's Federal Environment Minister outside the Reichstag.

The reach behind that number is striking. Ecosia works with 125 reforestation partner organizations and a network of more than 200,000 tree planters across dozens of countries. Together they have put 1,600 native species into the ground, including 144 classed as endangered or vulnerable — a focus that has made Ecosia one of the leading contributors to threatened-tree conservation in the world. Over its first 17 years, the company has channelled more than 100 million euros into climate action.

“On Earth Day 2026, those cents added up to a landmark: 250 million trees planted around the world since the Berlin-based non-profit search engine was founded in 2009.”

Crucially, Ecosia counts a tree only once it has survived past three years, the fragile window when many saplings fail. The organization tracks its forests with satellite monitoring and regular field visits, and its projects deliberately restore habitat for wildlife such as chimpanzees, orangutans and lemurs. The model rests on a binding 2018 commitment by Kroll: Ecosia can never be sold, and 100% of its profits go to the planet.

The milestone arrives as Ecosia widens its ambitions from planting trees to restoring whole landscapes — repairing soil, water and biodiversity together rather than counting trees in isolation. No single company can reforest a planet, and 250 million trees is modest against the billions of hectares of degraded land worldwide. But the achievement shows how an everyday digital habit, multiplied across millions of people, can fund real forests on real ground. It is a reminder that small, repeated choices, pooled together, can grow into something the size of a quarter-billion trees.