Help - EcoCart

Account Questions

I can’t log into EcoCart with my Google account.

If you’re using Google to log in to EcoCart, you’ll need to first have third-party cookies enabled. To ensure you can use your Google account to log in to EcoCart, follow these steps.

Google Chrome (PC)

Click the three dots in the top right corner of your Chrome browser.
Click Settings.
Scroll down top the “Privacy and security” category and click “Cookies and other site data”

In the “General settings” section, select either “Block third-party cookies in Incognito” or “Allow all cookies”

Google Chrome (Mac)

Open Chrome preferences
Navigate to “Privacy and security”

Under Privacy and security, click “Cookies and other site data”
Select either “allow all cookies” or “Block third-party cookies in Incognito”

Missing EcoCart button.

Is the green EcoCart airplane missing from your Chrome browser? No worries, follow these steps and be on your way to sustainable shopping.

Let’s first make sure you have EcoCart installed:

1) Open Chrome

2) Click on the puzzle piece icon in the top right corner

3) Click “Manage Extensions”

You should see EcoCart listed among your other extensions. In Extensions, you will also be able to see EcoCart is enabled or disabled.

If EcoCart is not on this list, you can reinstall EcoCart [link to “Installing the EcoCart browser extension” question] . You can also contact us at hello@ecocart.io or click the “contact us” button on the bottom right of your screen for more help.

Change or forgot my password.

To change your password, just click on the account tab and select “change password,” then you will be prompted to enter your old password and a new one.

If you forgot your password, then go to the login page and click “Forgot password?,” then put in your email and a link will be emailed to you that will allow you to input a new password.

Why Carbon Offsets

Can I choose a specific carbon offset project to support?

Yes! Support the project that inspires you most. We’ve scoured the globe and selected 3 of the most impactful and diverse projects we could find for you to choose from. In your EcoCart browser extension, just click the leaf in the bottom right corner and select the account tab where you can select your project.

Here’s a little more about the 3 projects:

Forest Protection in Massachusetts: You can support the protection of a spruce forest spanning three cities and over 6,500 acres. In addition to sequestering a significant amount of carbon emissions each year, this forest is home to countless local species and also provides clean drinking water to the surrounding cities. Learn more

Water Purification in Cambodia: You can help provide clean water to over 1 million people living in Cambodia. By filtering water instead of boiling it over a wood burning fire, these purifiers prevent 90,000 tonnes of carbon emissions and protect 450 hectares of Cambodian forest every year. Learn more

Renewable Wind Energy in Turkey: You can support the construction of new wind turbines to generate clean energy in Kayseri, Turkey. Before the introduction of wind power, the primary contributors to this local grid were power plants that burned fossil fuels. Learn more

What else can I do to live carbon neutral?

Online shopping is a significant contributor of carbon emissions in our personal lives, but there are additional steps you can take as an individual to reduce your carbon footprint. Reducing waste, composting, and buying less products overall all help mitigate your personal impact on the planet.

To get specific about your carbon footprint and what you can do to work towards carbon neutrality, check out EcoCart’s 5-minute carbon footprint calculator. Input a few details about your lifestyle and the calculator will estimate the size of your carbon footprint and offer a few actions you can take to reduce your impact.

We’re always looking for new and innovative methods for living sustainably. Keep up to date on the EcoCart blog or follow us on Instagram for daily tips and tricks.

How do you find the carbon emissions of digital products?

We hate to be the ones to break it to you, but the internet and all the digital products you love like Google, Netflix, and Instagram carry a carbon footprint. Computers, smartphones, and screens all run on electricity, which is generated from a variety of carbon-emitting methods including coal, natural gas, and petroleum. The servers and infrastructure that support everything we do on the internet emit greenhouses gases too. For instance, watching a video emits approximately 0.2 grams of CO2 every second and sending an email emits 4 grams of CO2 (54 grams if you add an attachment). A lot has to happen to get that video stream to you or to deliver that email to its final destination—that requires energy, and where there’s energy there’s usually greenhouse gases.

TL;DR it takes a whole lot of power to support all the servers, computers, and components that make up the world wide web we all rely on every day.

A number of purely digital products are offered to you at net zero carbon emissions through EcoCart. We evaluate each of these platforms individually to determine their unique carbon footprint to offset the emissions of you streaming a video, signing up for a credit card, and other digital activities.

How do you determine the carbon emissions from shipping for each order?

Our algorithm uses the unique characteristics of each order, including product type, shipping distance, and item weight to estimate the shipping emissions created by that order. Since each store uses a different shipping method, we assume a standard mix of shipping transportation that includes sea, air, and truck.

What do you mean when you say “carbon neutral”?

When we say orders will be “carbon neutral,” that means that we will eliminate, capture, or otherwise mitigate all of the carbon emissions created from shipping your online orders. “Net zero” is another term you might hear and it’s simply another way of describing what happens with carbon offsetting.

Are carbon offsets the best way to slow climate change?

The best way to slow climate change is to not release carbon emissions in the first place. There are many ways to reduce your carbon footprint, but in today’s world, it’s impossible to eliminate your carbon footprint completely. For reducing unavoidable climate impact, high-quality carbon offsets are the most credible and impactful tool to reduce emissions and fight climate change.

P.S. Here’s 4 ways to reduce your everyday carbon footprint.

How do I know donations are going to the right place?

When you buy an offset, you fund projects that reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions like protecting forests or building wind farms. Carbon offsets let you pay to reduce the global GHG total instead of making radical or impossible reductions of your own.

But not all carbon offset projects are created equal. EcoCart’s projects go through rigorous carbon offset laboratory and field testing. We only fund projects that are carefully vetted, ethically proven, and scientifically verified according to the world’s major carbon standards. Our projects are also third-party verified with site visits by our trusted partners to ensure successful calculation of greenhouse gas reductions and management of funds.

What on Earth is a carbon offset?

Carbon offsets are a practical and effective way to reduce the effects of climate change by funding renewable energy, forestry, or clean water projects. These projects reduce emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases in order to compensate for emissions made elsewhere, like the emissions created from ordering something online. EcoCart calculates the emissions created from your online orders and donates the exact dollar amount required to reduce those emissions directly to these projects on your behalf.

About EcoCart

Are you a non-profit?

We intentionally opted not to form a non-profit entity because it limits how EcoCart can operate. For example, if we were a non-profit, we wouldn’t be able to take outside investment for EcoCart, which would limit our velocity and growth, thus hindering our impact on the planet. We’re on a mission to make all commerce carbon neutral and if we were a non-profit, we would be limited in our impact.

How does EcoCart make money?

When you activate EcoCart on one of our partner stores and checkout, we receive a commission that we use to fund certified carbon offset projects on your behalf.

Privacy

What information does EcoCart collect?

We only collect information that we believe can help you accurately offset the carbon impact of your online orders. If you choose to register as a member, you can provide your name, email, and other general profile information. Like most other web services, EcoCart collects technical information about your device and how you use EcoCart to make sure that our products are working right, to help calculate the carbon emissions generated by your order(s), and to detect and prevent fraud.

What do you do with my data?

We do not and will never sell your data. Unlike other online shopping browser extensions, we’re in the business of saving the planet, not violating your privacy. We promise to never give your data to third-parties. We’ll only use your data in ways you’d expect, like improving our customer experience, which we explain in our privacy policy.

Privacy question.

We will do not and will never sell your data. Unlike other online shopping browser extensions, we’re in the business of saving the planet, not violating your privacy. We promise to never give your data to third-parties. We’ll only use your data in ways you’d expect, like improving our customer experience, which we explain in our privacy policy.

Letter from the founders

EcoCart is on a mission to make the fight against climate change easy and accessible so that everyone can do their part. We built this browser extension for you to play a role in our fight against climate change. We built this browser extension because we, as consumers, wanted this to exist in the world. Before you “read” our privacy policy, we think it’s important to hear directly from us on how we think about privacy and your data.

First and foremost, we do not sell your personal information. Ever.

EcoCart works to make your online orders carbon neutral. We do this by partnering with brands and merchants so that whenever you use EcoCart while shopping with them, we earn a small commission, then buy carbon offsets on your behalf. We also pass along a portion of the commission to you in the form of EcoPoints, which you can use to redeem Earth-saving rewards such as planting trees or clean water to families in need. Or you can use your EcoPoints just like cash and redeem them for gift cards to your favorite stores.

The rest of the commission we keep for salaries for our team, server costs, and just to keep the lights on. That’s how we make money. Not by selling your data – ever.

Our stance on privacy is simple: We don’t collect any personal information other than what is absolutely necessary for the calculation of your order’s carbon footprint.

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to us at support@ecocart.io