2021-August-09
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Some Heroes Wear Eco Bags, Not Capes
BY KRYSTAL CHENG · EMPLOYEE COMMUNICATIONS · UNITED STATES
Isn’t that dirty?
I don’t want to touch that!
Can’t someone else do it?
These are common things that people say when it comes to picking up trash. After all, it’s not everyone’s favorite thing to do — especially if the garbage isn’t their own.
That’s why Gosia Stasiak, a CX Project Manager in Krakow, created her “eco bag” to add some glamour to gathering garbage.
A collection crusade
Gosia has always loved spending time outdoors, from hiking on the Tatra Mountains to swimming off the Hel Peninsula. Whenever she notices trash improperly discarded in nature, she’s made it a habit to pick it up.
It wasn’t always such an easy choice.
“When I first started doing it many years ago, picking up trash wasn’t yet considered a positive thing to do,” she shares.
“In the beginning, I was embarrassed. But eventually, I learned to not care about what people thought of me. I was doing some good for my community, and that’s all that mattered.”
But because Gosia wanted to do more to clean up the environment, she got the idea of creating the eco bag to encourage others to do the same.
Taking up trash as a trend
With the support of the Cisco Poland Green Team, Gosia got to work creating her eco bag, a small, reusable bag specifically designed to carry litter.
She intentionally designed the bag to be versatile, with waterproof fabric for wet waste, a mesh pocket for sandy waste, and a keychain for portability. Of course, to show some Cisco love, Gosia also incorporated pieces of recycled Cisco lanyards and pouches onto the bags.
“I created the eco bag with two things in mind. First, I wanted to make picking up trash as easy and efficient as possible,” she explains. “And second, I wanted to make it look trendy so that people would be proud to do it.”
With the help of the Cisco Green Team and her neighborhood seamstress, Gosia successfully designed and created 50 eco bags.
Lessons learned from lugging litter
Gosia hopes that her eco bags will encourage people to do more to protect the environment.
“My dream for the eco bag is not overly bold or ambitious. I just want them to get people into the habit of cleaning up after themselves and taking care of nature,” she says.
“But most importantly, I don’t want people to feel embarrassed for picking up trash. I want them to feel proud that they are making a difference.”
If you’re interested in getting involved in environmental service projects or campaigns around Cisco, visit the Cisco Green Team Network SharePoint page.
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