Ecosia, German search engine that uses profits to plant trees, lands in Asheville

Dillon Davis | The Citizen-Times

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ASHEVILLE — Ecosia, a German search engine company that uses profits to plant millions of trees worldwide, has planted its flag in Asheville with eyes potentially set on a larger future presence in the U.S.

Jacey Bingler, who represents the Berlin-based company in the U.S., said the site's growing popularity stateside deemed it necessary for full-time representation in the country. She said Ecosia selected Asheville as a test market due to the area's ongoing sustainability efforts, its proximity to mountain scenery as well as it being the home of agencies like the National Centers for Environmental Information.

The company plans to study the U.S. market through the end of February and possibly beyond, Bingler said.

"What makes (Asheville) very, very interesting is the fact that the landscape around it is very beautiful," she said, adding that it differs considerably from the area near its Berlin headquarters.

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She hopes to glean whether an increased presence in the U.S. makes long-term sense for Ecosia, which was launched in 2009 by founder and CEO Christian Kroll. The company, a competitor to search engines like Google, uses income generated by advertising revenue to plant trees in Europe, central and South America, Africa and Asia.

Ecosia has 7 million active users and has planted 35.7 million trees worldwide, its website shows. On average, it requires 45 searches to plant a single tree, even if a user utilizes ad blocker software.

Bingler said the reason she's in the U.S. is because she "knows the company well" and has heavily studied the North American market. If the company does decide on increasing its presence in the U.S., she said it would require hiring U.S. workers, as opposed to current German employees, in hopes of finding people who know the landscape and have existing contacts in the country.

Asked if Asheville would be considered for a U.S. Ecosia headquarters or a subsidiary of the company, she said, "There's no reason it shouldn't be in the conversation."

"It's something I think would be an advantage for us for many different reasons," she said.

Collider a possible temporary home

In the interim, however, Bingler may soon set up shop at The Collider, a nonprofit Asheville workspace focused on climate solutions. There she would join a host of climate-friendly businesses and individuals, including engineers, entrepreneurs, writers and several NASA alums.

Collider CEO Josh Dorfman said that Ecosia is considering Asheville and the workspace he runs is "reaffirming of the work we’re doing here to help foster companies that are driving innovation around climate change."

"I would also say it's indicative of Asheville's business culture which does have a core around sustainability," he said. Dorfman added that it's "terrific" that Asheville's reputation is growing to the point where companies in the U.S. and Europe are taking notice.