In the age of the climate crisis, there’s Big Change and Small Change.

Small Change matters: switching to a green energy provider, eating less meat and reducing your air miles has a measurable impact on the environment.

But we’re not going to make it without Big Change in government policies, businesses, and our society at large.

Climate activism can bring about Big Change. Going to demos and engaging in civil disobedience pressures governments to listen. It has the potential to bring about the systemic shifts our planet so desperately needs.

Ecosia is now taking concrete steps to facilitate climate activism. Going forward, all Ecosia employees can engage in climate activism during weekdays – they don’t need to take time off or call in sick. If they incur legal problems, Ecosia will support them and cover any related fees. If reasonable, nonviolent civil disobedience should lead any Ecosia employee to be incarcerated, their time behind bars will be counted as work time.

In recent months, more and more people at Ecosia – myself included – have felt compelled to take part in Fridays for Future strikes, training sessions with Extinction Rebellion, or marches in solidarity with the Hambach forest. This reflects a wider trend, with Greta Thunberg's movement inspiring many of our users to take public climate action. Our new climate leave policy acknowledges and encourages this.

In general, corporate culture does not encourage climate activism. Some companies actively prevent their employees from taking to the streets. I hope that Ecosia’s new climate leave policy will encourage other businesses to change – in both big ways and small.

See you at the Global Strike for Climate,

Christian Kroll, Ecosia’s founder and CEO