Why sustainability is important to members of Cisco’s Green Team

Earth Day may be on April 22, but environmental sustainability is always top of mind here at Cisco.

Cisco’s Green Team Network (CGTN) has been driving sustainability as part of Cisco’s Inclusive Communities (Employee Resource Groups) for the last 10 years. CGTN envisions a more environmentally sustainable business and world by empowering each other to drive social and environmental change at work and in their homes.

The Network is working towards this goal by raising awareness of today’s most pressing sustainability challenges. They connect employees with the tools and resources to drive actions through service projects and campaigns. Above all, CGTN encourages employees to have fun and connect while making Cisco a more sustainable company.

The 24 global teams host events year-round such as tree plantings, cleanup events, and educational sessions on waste reduction, home gardening, and beekeeping.

Hear more about what sustainability means to members of our GTN.

Stephania Trejos

Demand Gen Project Manager, Global Virtual Sales & Engineering (GVSE)

“Sustainability to me is the balance that exists between human actions and nature’s processes that allow our planet to function properly.

Sustainable living is a harmonious and symbiotic relationship between humans and our natural resources.

We can impact this relationship for good or for bad depending on what we think, what we do, and how we act.

As a Cisco employee, I appreciate all the opportunities and support we are given to make our world a better place.

Using Time2Give and our Inclusive Communities, we can support causes that are important to us, such as environmental non-profits, and connect with others who share our interests and values.

As co-leader of the Green Team Network in Costa Rica, I want to inspire others to feel the satisfaction and joy that comes from giving our time, energy, and resources to help our planet and our communities.

Throughout the year, I help organize giving back events for our GTN members in partnership with local non-profit organizations whose mission is to build a more sustainable environment for our surrounding communities.

Taking care of this beautiful planet we call home requires changing our mentality, spurred by our love of others and for nature. Make a difference by joining one of your local Cisco Green Team networks today.”

Muthu Varadharajan

Senior Leader, Systems Engineering Sales, Cisco

“Sustainability to me is a state under which humans and nature can exist in productive harmony to support one another.

Climate change is real, our planet is warming, and we need to act now. From far places like Antarctica to near ones like the Colorado river, we see its impact today.

I live in Colorado, and climate change has affected the entire Colorado River Basin. There are about 7 U.S. states including the upper basin Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming and the lower basin states Arizona, California and Nevada that rely on water from the shrinking Colorado river.

Rising temperatures fueled by the burning of fossil fuels has intensified the worst drought in centuries, and the flow of the Colorado has declined about 20%. Reservoirs have dropped to record-low levels, and the shortage continues to worsen.

Cisco is committed to helping people work, live, play, and learn in an environmentally friendly way.

We are reducing our own carbon footprint, engaging customers, partners, and employees in efforts to manage our impact on the environment and developing IT solutions to help address climate change.

A colleague and I formed the Green Team Chapter for Colorado. Our chapter includes a growing team of Cisco employees who share a common passion for saving the Planet.

Our Green Team has various interests, including teaching beekeeping to help support existing beekeepers, planting trees, collecting wildflower seeds, building fences, trails and habitats, and promoting biodiversity.”

Marina Pinheiro Morando

Client Operation Delivery Manager, Cisco Americas Commerce Operations

“I’m a Cisco Green Team Brazil co-leader, and to me, sustainability is the capacity to protect the planet for today and for future generations.

That is why it is so crucial to take care of myself, take care of the planet, and take care of all species (animals, plants, and people).

Our habits and attitudes can make a huge difference for a more sustainable and beautiful world.

Every action you take for planet Earth and spread to other people, including your family, neighborhood, friends, colleagues at work, and the community, will transform the environment.

So do not wait. Let’s respect, protect, and take actions. Awareness, reducing, recycling, reusing — small and big actions can have a great impact!

The Earth is changing, and everyone is responsible for creating and maintaining a sustainable environment and circular economy.

Critical needs like water and food are being aggressively impacted and we have big challenges ahead of us when it comes to climate change, including economic, social, and environmental.

No action means more problems, less resources, and public health crises, like pandemics. It is now or never, start this journey today!

I am taking steps to live sustainably, are you? Join us!”

Catarina Pereira

Virtual Partner Account Manager for the United Kingdom (UK)

“I’m a Cisco Lisbon Green Team co-lead for around 2.5 years, and a member of this network since I joined Cisco.

My main goal with all the activities led by the Green Team is to create awareness and to try and get people to understand that every drop in the Ocean matters.

We’re trying to help Cisconians be more educated about sustainability, we also love to be hands on, and encourage and support people to go and do one little thing at a time.

If you stop buying bottled water, that’s okay. If you’re living a zero-waste lifestyle, that’s fine. If you’re doing what you can (using cloth napkins for instance) and feel you still have a long way to go, that’s also fine. Little by little, if we’re all conscious of what we can do, everything adds up.

Sustainability was always important to me. Up until a few years ago, I used to say sustainability was important because nature was a sacred place where we could slow down, enjoy and be happy. But also, I began to realize we live in a place with finite resources, so we need to understand how we want to manage our “warehouse and its inventory”.

Then I became a mom, and I also wanted my daughter to be able to enjoy planet Earth the same way I was able to enjoy it when growing up.

Today, I think sustainability is important for all of us because we want to continue to enjoy Earth’s “inventory” the same way we did in the past. It’s in our hands to move the needle and build a beautiful legacy.”

Whether you are a Cisco employee or not, you can take action to start your sustainability journey today.

Take a carbon footprint assessment that can help identify the largest areas of impact in your daily life. From there, figure out what steps you can take to reduce your impact. This could look like taking public transportation or sourcing locally grown produce.

And don’t forget to share what you have learned. What changes have you found that make the biggest impact in reducing your personal footprint?

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