Every day is Earth Day: Rising to the occasion

Today is Earth Day. But at Cisco, every day is Earth Day, especially for our Webex team. Often, I hear people speculate wistfully, can’t we solve climate change with technology? Well, we must try. If I could add a line to every job description in every tech company, it would be: Rise to the occasion.  

I consider this our core job at Webex by Cisco – rise to the occasion, whatever that “occasion” might be. When a challenge presents itself, we see it as an opportunity to improve people’s lives. That is the whole point of innovation, to enhance people’s lives! Consider the past two years. It was critical for thousands of people to work remotely, so Webex helped hundreds of customers transition to remote and hybrid work with near-miraculous swiftness. With our technology, we rose to the occasion.    

We need to reduce carbon emissions as a society, and we’re rising to the occasion here, too. Hybrid work cuts down the greenhouse gases of commuting. And it comes with a bonus, as is often true with innovation. Hybrid work gives employees more flexibility, increases work satisfaction, and contributes to a more diverse and inclusive workforce.  

In addition to erasing the pollution of the daily commute for millions, we can cut the expense and carbon footprint of business travel. Cisco and our customers have run large-scale corporate events entirely on Webex Events (formerly Socio), with high attendance and engagement levels. Webex technology offers an event experience that is immersive and highly secure – even if attending virtually.  

With Webex Cloud, we’re addressing one of the sustainability issues that burden SaaS – energy-intensive data centers. In Europe, our Webex Cloud data centers all run on 100% renewable energy, and we are making aggressive strides towards renewable energy in the Americas and Asia, too.  

Speaking of innovation, Webex is going to space! The Artemis Program is a NASA mission to send astronauts to the moon again; they plan to establish the first-ever long-term presence on the Moon and, from that base, take the next giant leap by sending astronauts to Mars. For Artemis 1, Webex will be part of a payload on board the Orion spacecraft to help test collaboration technologies that could be used in future Artemis missions for deep space exploration. Who knows what innovations will come from these journeys – it’s even possible that we’ll find ways to help solve climate change!  

Innovation, new thinking, and new technology can sustain our planet and all of us – together. Flexible work schedules, diverse and inclusive teams, and reduced carbon footprints are just the beginning. It just takes all of us to rise to the occasion!  

Learn more:  

Why hybrid work drives sustainability

NASA Orion with Artemis Program

The future of energy: Clean, connected and equitable