It is said that the seed defines the fruit and I’ve always felt this is apt in my profession. From a young age, I was able to witness how civil society organisations work for the wellbeing of society and the environment as a whole. I was looking for a work opportunity in Sustainable Development and Environment conservation when I came across a fundraising opportunity for Greenpeace India.
In my role as an Outreach Officer with DDII, I work with diverse corporate audiences to spread awareness about sustainability and the climate crisis. My role includes planning and executing employee engagement activities and getting venues for our frontline campaigners to interact with prospective supporters.
During awareness drives, we ensure every employee we interact with learns sustainable habits that they can practice in their day to day life. We also share how a million small steps can result in a mass movement.
When we witness real changes through our drives it is always overwhelming. On one such occasion, the representative of a corporate office told us how the company had switched from plastic to wooden stirrers after our awareness drive, simply because we turned down the plastic stirrers offered to us along with the complimentary coffee. This made me feel on top of the world because behaviour change is one of the most important things we are working towards.
These are the invaluable gestures that money cannot buy. Such moments always encourage us to work harder for the cause and keep persevering.
Rohit Vidyanand
Outreach Officer, Hyderabad
