I have a confession to make about something I’ve been doing over the past 10 years: I have diligently separated my wet and dry waste. What does that mean? Everything that is biodegradable, like food scraps, goes in one bin; everything like paper or plastic goes to another; and medical waste to the third bin. I have also been composting my wet waste, an average of two pounds per day. This amounts to nearly 2,800 pounds diverted from the landfill over four years.
So why is this relevant to my journey at Cisco? Small actions like this can have a bigger impact over time, and that has been reinforced during my time as a core team member of Cisco’s Green Team Network (GTN), an Inclusive Community at Cisco with 26 local chapters around the world. At GTN, we envision a more environmentally sustainable business and world, empowering our employees to drive social and environmental change at work and in their homes.
How did I get here? My own sustainability journey started as a child.
My Personal Sustainability Journey
My earliest connection with nature started at my ancestral home in India, where I grew up in a small town called Vasai. Our home had a backyard with many trees, and my dad loved gardening. Most of my summers were spent playing surrounded by nature.

But my true calling towards nature began when I moved to Bengaluru. Social media introduced me to pages like Indian Birds and Sanctuary Asia, where people posted their photographs of birds and wildlife. That’s when I decided to take up bird photography as a hobby. Visiting various lakes in Bengaluru and birding hotspots in my hometown and other locales in India, I have now documented roughly 300-350 species of birds.

The turning point came during the COVID pandemic. Due to lockdown restrictions, my visits to the lakes stopped, and so did my bird photography, but the itch to connect with nature had not gone away. I closely documented nature around my apartment, and when the restrictions eased a bit, I went to a nearby lake to document insects on the trail. Over time, I continued documenting the insect biodiversity and even published photos in a wildlife magazine and wildlife photography competitions, including winning a competition on World Wildlife Day that showcased the pervasive impact of plastic and waste in our environment.

I discovered that I wanted to use my photographs and experiences in the wild to tell stories that create awe about nature among people. I started collaborating with a non-governmental organization (NGO), Thicket Tales, which was organizing webinars for citizens on various topics related to wildlife and sustainability. I also started giving talks on biodiversity to schools and communities and, for the first time, to a corporation – Dell Technologies. I gave a series of 11 sessions to Dell Technologies on diverse topics related to biodiversity and sustainability.

Involvement with Cisco’s Green Team Network in India
Working as a Consulting Engineer in CX-Professional Services, I have been part of the Service Provider (SP) Mobility team working on deployment of mobility networks for customers like T-Mobile, Reliance Jio, TIM Brazil, and more. In mid-2023, when I was searching for a stretch assignment related to program management, I stumbled upon an opening for the Global Green Team Network (GTN) Education Lead. At the time, I did not get that role, but the GTN leadership team asked me to restart the chapter in Bengaluru, which had become dormant since COVID. Today, I am honored to join the Green Team Global Leadership as the Education Lead.
“Being part of the Green Team has deepened my commitment to driving impactful change, turning awareness into action, and inspiring a culture of responsibility in all spheres of my life.” – Shiju Joseph, Executive Sponsor, Green Team – Bengaluru Chapter
In the first year of the Bengaluru chapter’s reinception, we engaged with 16 wildlife conservation and sustainability NGOs, raising ~$29K USD with 3,200 Cisconians participating in various events like webinars, documentary screenings, nature walks, biodiversity censuses, tree plantings, cleanup drives, and more. I’m proud that people have reconnected with nature through our various engagements. In addition, when we started the chapter, we onboarded many wildlife and sustainability NGOs to Cisco’s Benevity platform, which allows employees to easily donate or volunteer with a community organization.

Today, I am organizing sessions on diverse topics focusing on environmental issues and stories from various geographies, and I am proud to work with fellow Cisconians who share a similar passion for nature.
“Being part of the Green Team has surrounded me with a supportive community that constantly inspires and motivates me to adopt new, sustainable practices, making nature and sustainability a core value in my life.” – Manjari Vishnoi, co-lead, GTN Bengaluru Chapter
Vision and Goals
Looking toward the future, I want to introduce hackathons to help NGOs address their tech goals using expertise from Cisco. I also hope to introduce Cisco’s products and services portfolio from a sustainability perspective, with talks from Cisco experts working on such initiatives.
It would be great to see fellow Cisconians take up at least one activity in their daily lives that contributes to a more sustainable cause. Only when we incorporate sustainability into our daily lives will there be a positive change in the natural world we live in.
Involvement with GTN has meaningfully impacted my career journey and personal life. Working in a role that supports nature may become something I want to do for the rest of my life. I believe nature is one cause worth fighting for because it is one thing humans cannot thrive without.
Your dedication to sustainability and protecting nature is truly inspiring – it’s a privilege to work with you! 🙂
The feeling is mutual Bhanu, thanks for being part of the initiative and bringing so much creativity to it 🙂
Wow! I found your content here very creative and helpful. Thank you so much. I also found some great information here https://conservationconstruction.com/blog/ I will keep checking back for more great content. Very happy to read this.
Glad that you liked the content Jenny, so happy to read your comment and thank you so much for sharing this link. 🙂
Really love this! Such great content ????. Happy to be part of the Green Team with you!
Just realized the emojis didn’t show up properly!! Really loved the post and happy to be part of the Green Team!
Thank you so much SreeHarika, the feeling is mutual.
It is inspiring to read through your journey, Aaditya. Thanks for making the difference for world and living corporate purpose so greatly. Keep going, mate!!!
Thank you Swapnil, really grateful of you for supporting this journey.
Aaditya, your unwavering commitment to sustainability and environmental protection is truly commendable. It’s an honor to be involved in the initiatives you spearhead with Cisco’s Green Team. Keep up the good work and keep inspiring many.
Thank you so much Bro, you are an inspiration too, doing so much to support local communities
Well done.
Thank you Aai
Hello Aaditya,
Glad you are part of your company’s Green Team. True it is a good initiative, plus a social responsibility of each one of us to contribute.
Keep up the great work, as we have daunting task to educate, implement. Sure you are creating a social impact by our actions…
“Sustainable Growth” is the pressing topic which industry is trying to balance between Growth & Sustainability. While we have a long way to go, appreciate the steps taken for a “Better Tmrw”…Tc
Thank you Kaka, it certainly is upon our generation to set the path of Sustainability and Environmental protection for the upcoming generations
That’s a wonderful perspective. Very well written. It is inspiring to follow sustainability and environmental protection. Glad to be following the separate waste disposal and management since a few years now.
thank you tai
Thank you Geeta*, Great to know that you follow waste segragation at your household too. 🙂
This is such a beautiful impact journey Aditya, encompassing both environment and society. Loved reading !
Thank you so much Nutan, Glad that you liked the blog and found it inspiring
Your journey towards Sustainability and Love towards Nature and its protection is truly inspiring and motivating 🙂 Keep motivating many of us and we will follow your footsteps. Long way to go Aaditya … Happy to connect with you and more to learn !!
Thank you so much Vijaya, glad that you found it motivating, Happy to connect and discuss more ideas and activities which can be done together
Your journey towards Sustainability and Love towards Nature and its protection is truly inspiring and motivating 🙂 Keep motivating many of us and we will follow your footsteps. Long way to go Aaditya … Happy to connect with you and more to learn !!
Superb keep it up
I still remember our trail to Vasai – Tungareshwar
Thank you Bhupesh, I do remember the memorable trek and birding in scorching summer heat, the highlight was the sighting of the Black-capped Kingfisher at the pond
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Aaditya. I loved reading about your photography and reinception of the Bangalore Green team. You are an inspiration to all of us!