EFFECTIVENESS OF ECOSIA: ENVIRONMENTAL DEVELOPMENT SEARCH

ENGINE PERCEIVED BY SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT OF NCST SY. 2022-

2023

A Research Paper
Presented to the Faculty of
Senior High School Department
National College of Science and Technology

In partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for the subject
APPLIED 004
PRACTICAL RESEARCH 2

Alcaparas Charles Joriel E.

Añano Danica Jane D.

Miguel Jasmin Rose D.

Naesa Juan Rodrigo Q.

Patulada Laurence A.

Oct 2022
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
Rationale
Today, the battle between those who exploit forests and those who defend

them has widened, gone global, and developed into one of the most pressing

environmental problems that this generation is dealing with. According to research,

shifting cultivation is the second largest contributor to deforestation after logging

activities. This has numerous negative impacts on various species and vegetation

goods. The rate of forest destruction is increasing. Until recently, the most accurate

figures, based on a 1980 FAO survey, stated that about 11.4 million hectares of tropical

forest were being destroyed yearly and can be replaceable by environmental services

like reducing emissions and watershed protection are provided by the forest ecosystem.

Hence, Christian Kroll, the founder of Ecosia, understood the seriousness of the

problem of deforestation that is chronically increasing all over the world. Ecosia is a

green search engine that uses its profits to plant trees. Search engines play a significant

role in student's life, especially nowadays, when the internet is continuously growing like

the majority of search engines. Ecosia makes money by showing advertisements. The

main distinction, though, is that they contribute at least 80% of their earnings to

businesses that focus on expanding the number of trees in the globe. It does not only

serves as a useful tool for students, but it also promotes and serves as a means to fight

climate change. Thus, the researchers aim to evaluate the effectiveness of Ecosia as a

Search Engine Perceived by Senior High School Students of National College of

Science and Technology. This study also urges to assess its significance not just only

for students' life but also its impact to human and earth.
Objective of the study
Specifically, this study aims to:

1. Determine the number of senior high school students that utilize Ecosia
2. Assess the level of satisfaction by remarks of NCST students using Ecosia
Search Engine
3. Scale the effectiveness of Ecosia as perceived by the NCST Senior High
School Student

Statement of the problem

The main purpose of this study is to determine the Effectiveness of Ecosia as a

search engine perceived by the senior high school student.

Specifically, it aims to answer the following questions:

1. What percentage of students utilize Ecosia search engines?

2. What is the level of satisfaction with the ecosia search engine by remarks of

NCST senior high school student.

3. What is the effectiveness of Ecosia as perceived by NCST senior high

school students?
Significance of the Studies

The study's importance attempts to provide information and understanding

on the possible contribution of the chosen topic and who will benefit from it. It describes

the study's potential significance as well as its potential benefits.

The individuals that will be benefited by the study are the following:

Learners. This research will assist them in discovering various search

engines available on the internet, such as Ecosia. By carrying out this research,

students will be able to assess the efficiency of the search engine as well as the

potential benefits of using it.

Teachers. The findings of this study may persuade them to utilize Ecosia as

a search engine to obtain data or information on their subject, as well as to encourage

their students to use it.

Future researchers. The results of this study may be used as a reference

for further research by future researchers. They may obtain some information and data

that they can use as a guide in performing their own research, particularly if they wish to

conduct a similar study.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The purpose of this research is to determine the efficacy of Ecosia as a

search engine for NCST shs students. The goal of this study is to assess the

effectiveness of Ecosia in student academic searches. It was carried out to provide us

with additional metrics to determine whether NCST students used Ecosia as a search

engine and how effective it is

Due to the stringent guide of required from the researches, the data

gatherings will be delimited to the SHS students of NCST and the researchers will not

be allowed to have off-campus field visits. The main data gathering method will be

through the internet and can be gathered through phone or online interview with the

available Senior High School students of NCST who used Ecosia as their search

engine. The gathering of data sites selection will be based only on online data such as

Google forms and social media accounts. Also, due to time constraints, the gathered

data will be only limited and may not precisely cover all the scope of the study.

The duration of this study will be conducted within the first and second

semester of the school year 2022-2023.

Review of Related Literature
Foreign Literature
According to book of (Haider and Sundin 2019 )Invisible search and online

search engines. consider the use of search engines in contemporary everyday life and

the challenges this poses for media and information literacy. Looking for mediated

information is mostly done online and arbitrated by the various tools and devices that

people carry with them on daily basis. Because of this search engines have significant

impact on the structures of our lives and personal and public memories. Haider and

sundin consider that this means for society. Whilst also writing research on information

retrieval with research on how people actually look for and encounter information

Users can use search engines to find content on the internet by using

keywords. Despite the fact that a few companies dominate the market, there are

numerous search engines that people can use. A search engine results page (SERP) is

returned when a user enters a query into a search engine, ranking the found pages in

order of their relevance. The method by which this ranking is accomplished varies

between search engines. To improve user experience, search engines frequently

modify their algorithms (the programs that rank the results). They want to understand

how users search so they can provide the best answer to their query. This entails

prioritizing the highest-quality and most-relevant pages

According to a 2010 Ecosia org research, Ecosia manages to maintain its

financial structure and costs because it does not have its own search engine and thus

no hardware to maintain; the company views its search engine as a personal

contribution to the environment and society, rather than an investment project based on
profitability; and marketing is carried out to increase the social awareness of search

engine users. Joshi, 2022 in his statement in Ecosia org. he quoted that “A different

future is possible. Let’s change it together, one search at a time.” If Ecosia is easy to

use, more people will make the switch and become climate activists every day. And this

will have a significant impact. In fact, if everyone switched from Google to Ecosia, we

would be able to plant 300 billion trees each year. And if Google matched our

renewable investment, they'd already have enough green capacity to phase out all coal,

gas, and lignite.

According to Vaughn (2022), Ecosia is a popular search engine that connects

user activities with reforestation, CO2 reduction, and climate change projects. It donates at least

80% of its income from search queries to non-profit organizations dedicated to reforestation and

climate action.

When it comes to user experience, you can mostly expect the same

standard features you’d like in a modern search engine—filters like images, video

search, maps, auto suggestions, all in an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. It also

offers integrations with Wikipedia, Amazon, and other services. The search results are

powered by Microsoft Bing's algorithm.

According to Au (2022) they gain knowledge about the distinctions

respectively substantial environmental protection and urban ecological restoration, a

historical and culturally diverse prejudicial institutionalized racism techniques that

account for much of America's inequitable tree cover, and what it means to collaborate

with communities and partners to envision a different reality.

 Google (www.google.com) was established in 1996 as a research study at

Stanford University (US) by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and has since grown to

become the world's most dominant search engine. It is the most visited website on the

planet and is regarded as one of the Big Four technology companies, along with

Amazon, Apple, and Facebook. In contrast to previous conventional search engines,

which relied on ranking systems based on how many times a specific search term

appeared on a specific internet page, they developed an algorithm called PageRank

that analyzed relationships between websites. Ecosia (www.ecosia.org) is a Berlin-

based search engine founded by Christian Kroll (Germany). It is classified as a social

enterprise because it donates a portion of its profits to conservation efforts. As of mid-

2019, it was reported to have planted over 59 million new trees worldwide. When it was

first launched in 2009 to coincide with the United Nations Climate Change Conference

in Copenhagen (Denmark), it provided search results from Yahoo, Bing, and Wikipedia.

Microsoft Bing now provides search results that are enhanced by their own algorithms.

Ying (2019)

Ecosia, headquartered in Berlin, Germany, is the world's largest

environmentally conscious search engine (Farmbrough, 2021). Ecosia distinguishes

itself as the first of its kind by investing a significant portion of its monthly profits in

global tree-planting projects (Ecosia, 2021). Ecosia, like other search engines, makes

money from ad clicks on the search engine result page. By May 2021, the company had

funded over 125 million trees and encouraged over 15 million people to use its green

services (Ecosia, 2021). The company's market share has increased significantly,

particularly in the last two years. Ecosia's global market share increased from 0.04% to
0.13% between July 2019 and February 2021. (StatCounter, 2021). France, Germany,

and the United Kingdom have seen the greatest increases in market share

(StatCounter, 2021).

Local Literature

According to Amurao (2021) The environmental conservation organization

has collaborated with NTFP-EP Philippines and Samahang Madalagnon na

Nagkakaisa, two non-governmental organizations and community-based organizations

(SAMANA). They have already identified locations where they can plant native trees

and even wild abaca, which are commonly found in Panipiason's forest.

The Akeanon-Bukidnon indigenous peoples of Aklan have long relied on the

harvest and trade of abaca fibers from the abaca plant as a major source of income,

according to their post. Planting native trees in their landscape will not only diversify the

landscape, but will also result in healthier forests and sustainable livelihoods for

communities."

For the Ecosia supported portion of our rainforestation program, we are also

working in Tanay, Rizal; Malitbog, Bukidnon; and Claveria, Misamis Oriental with three

other IP community organizations,” a member of NTFP-EP Philippines told Nolisoli.ph.

Ecosia, a search engine that is described as an environmentally friendly

company because it plants a tree for every search entered into its site, has identified a

forest in Aklan as the first location for its project in the Philippines. Ecosia stated that it

chose native trees such as abaca (Musa textilis) for its project because they naturally
grow in Panipiason's upland forests. In the case of abaca, it is stated that it provides a

source of income for local residents. Ecosia is an environmentally friendly search

engine whose profits are used to plant trees all over the world. Since its inception in

December 2009, it has planted over 60 million trees. Noriega (2021)

Foreign Studies

The information management ecosystem has undergone significant

transformations in recent years. This means that consumers or Internet users can now

obtain information in digital environments using a wide range of techniques and tools.

According to the study of Sanchez and Saura (2018) A search engine or other

Internet service that can be audited (visits, searches, files, etc.) can also help to mitigate

the effects of deforestation and climate change by planting trees is well received by

Internet users. This conclusion is supported by the fact that Ecosia.org was chosen as a

favorite by 25.6% of the sample members. However, in the same sample, the proportion

of people who use the search engine on a regular basis fell to 10.6%, indicating that

preference and use are not completely related. Their study provide an optimistic outlook

for the fight against deforestation, and thus against climate change, by demonstrating

consumer interest in responsible resource consumption. The case studied in this

research study envisions a future in which companies are held accountable for the

environmental consequences of their actions and consumers can choose how much

they are willing to contribute to the deterioration of the planet through their choice of
service. As a result, environmental management will become the responsibility of

everyone, not just countries and governments.

Likewise, Zehendner and Cron (2021), conducted twelve in-depth interviews with

Ecosia users inclusively with German Millennials. The finding reveals the idea of a

search engine that promotes ecological sustainability is well received. However, while

the green services Ecosia provides are overall well-received among the German

millennia’s they have interviewed, two disadvantages were mentioned. First, the search

results Google provides are overall perceived as more precise. Second, among our

interviewees, Google add-ons are considered as a convenient benefit for the users.

They strongly advise professionals continue providing default setting selections

because their study participants reported that once they set ecosia as their default

search engine, the usage became habitual for them because no active decision is

required for the usage, resulting in perceived behavioral ease. Furthermore, Ecosia's

tree counter was named a motivator for continued usage because it visualizes a positive

environmental outcome and serves as a direct reward system for users. The tree-

counter is also a tool that encourages collective action because users can see how

others are contributing at the same time. As a result, they advise other environmentally

conscious search engines to nudge usage through an abstract visualization of their

contributions that is easily visible to users.

According to Sharma et al.,(2020) Ecosia is a digital search engine that also

serves as a social plan of action. They plant a tree for every 45th search performed by a

user. This makes a significant contribution to their efforts to mitigate the effects of

climate change. Ecosia, a web search engine, tries to repay the emissions by donating
the vast majority of its profits to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and preventing

deforestation. This paper is about understanding how a social business model (1) works

in the context of Ecosia; (2) understanding and investigating Ecosia's financial report;

and (3) because palm oil contributes to deforestation, how Ecosia can help to reduce

palm oil plantation and how it can be suitable.

According to Yunus (2008) Ecosia does not seek to maximize profits.

Rather, it adheres to the emerging phenomenon of Social Business, within which it

seeks to make a beneficial environmental societal contribution.

According to Ruch et al. (2011), there are clear consequences for Ecosia.

Ecosia's business model is supported by a market potential analysis. Furthermore,

79.1% of the survey respondents rated the concept of a green search engine as "very

good" or "good." At this time, users do not expect environmental commitment from

search engines, so it is ranked relatively low. However, this is most likely due to a lack

of knowledge: nearly two-thirds were unaware that a search request could have an

environmental impact. Ecosia should try to raise public awareness about this by

communicating information about it. Users' skepticism stems primarily from the quality

of the search results. Quality is the most important factor for all search engine users,

regardless of group. Ecosia should also communicate that its search engine quality is

not inferior to that of other search engines (at least not inferior to the engines actually

providing the search results).

According to Schmidt et al., (2012) The environmental impact of search

engines is gaining public attention as part of the discussion about Green IS and Green

IT, and the search engine Ecosia.org is capitalizing on this by pursuing an IT-enabled
green business model. The goal of businesses that follow this concept is to make a

positive environmental contribution. Ecosia helps the environment by donating the

majority of its profits to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Can et al. (2004) define a web search engine as an information retrieval

system that is used to locate web pages that are relevant to user queries. To be

considered an independent engine, it must perform indexing, storage, query processing,

and spidering (or crawling).  crawler, robot) operations However, from the user's

perspective, the underlying technology is unimportant as long as basic requirement of

receiving a response to his search query is met. As a result, even if they do not directly

provide the underlying technical services, search websites that provide an interface for

query input and result output will be considered search engines from the end user's

perspective.
Conceptual Framework

Ecosia- Environmental
Effectiveness as perceives by
Development Search Engine SHS student of NCST

 Protect Environment  Raise Environmental

Awareness
 Promotes Reforesting  Convey Importance of
 Lessen Global Warming Ecology
 Promotes nature
 Control Erosion
Welfare
 Provides Donation with  Provide Environmental
Significance
Profits

Figure 1. The paradigm of the study

This study identify the effectiveness of Ecosia as an Environmental Development

search engine perceived by senior high school student of NCST. The predictor variable

is the Ecosia- Environmental Development Search Engine and the criterion variable is

the Effectiveness as perceives by SHS student of NCST

Definition of Terms

The following terminologies are defined as keywords used in the study to

ensure a thorough understanding of the overall concept of the study.

Academic searches - is a database that covers a large variety of topics

and is recommended for most research projects. It contains articles from many

academic journals, magazines, newspapers, and other credible sources.

Climate change - Climate change is a long-term change in the average

weather patterns that have come to define Earth’s local, regional and global climates.

Cultivation - The action of cultivating land, or the state of being cultivated.

Deforestation - Deforestation refers to the decrease in forest areas across

the world that are lost for other uses such as agricultural croplands, urbanization, or

mining activities.

Ecological restoration - Ecological restoration is the process of assisting

the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed.

 Ecosystem - An ecosystem is a geographic area where plants, animals,

and other organisms, as well as weather and landscapes, work together to form a

bubble of life.

Effectiveness - effectiveness pertains to the capability of producing a

desired result or the ability to produce successful output.

Green business model - The term covers new and more environmental

friendly ways to conduct business.

Media and Information Literacy - Media and information literacy is an

interrelated set of competencies that help people to maximize advantages and minimize

harm in the new information, digital and communication landscapes.

Profitability - The degree to which a business or activity yields profit or

financial gain.

Search engines - search engine is a software system designed to carry out

web searches. They search the World Wide Web in a systematic way for particular

information specified in a textual web search query.

Shifting cultivation - A form of agriculture, in which an area of ground is

cleared of vegetation and cultivated for a few years and then abandoned for a new area

until its fertility has been naturally restored

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https://blog.ecosia.org/manifesto/