Member Spotlight: From One Email to 1,200 Members: How Greener Diet Grew into a Global Bank of America Community
Article written by Judy Scheffel Senior VP Global Human Resources at Bank of America, Leader of Greener Diet Network at Bank of America
"What began with a simple email to 25 interested colleagues has grown into a global community of more than 1,200 members across 13+ countries, proving that meaningful change starts with small choices and the courage to take the first step."
Can one person's lunch choice really make a difference?
For many employees, the connection between food, personal well-being and environmental sustainability can feel overwhelming. Yet the choices we make every day can have a meaningful impact on our health, our communities and the planet.
In 2017, Greener Diet began with a simple email.
A colleague and I reached out to approximately 25 “friends and family” Bank of America fellow teammates to gauge interest in learning more about plant-based eating. What started as an informal conversation has grown into a global community of more than 1,200 members across 13+ countries.
Today, Greener Diet is a virtual chapter of Bank of America's My Environment® program, a global initiative that helps employees become better environmental stewards at work, at home and in their communities. Greener Diet brings that mission to life through food, helping employees explore how everyday choices can support both personal well-being and environmental sustainability.
One of Greener Diet's guiding principles is to meet people where they are. By creating a welcoming environment that encourages curiosity, learning and small steps forward, we've built a community that empowers employees to make positive changes in ways that work for them.
Turning Awareness into Action
Through education, engagement and peer support, Greener Diet helps employees move from intention to action.
Our volunteer leadership team delivers:
Greener Choices, our monthly newsletter
Quarterly Virtual Connects featuring internal and external speakers
Plant-based tasting events hosted with Compass
The annual Veganuary Workplace Challenge
Growing Greener, our peer-learning lifestyle program
Partnerships with My Environment chapters, Employee Networks and wellness initiatives
Whether employees are fully plant-based, looking to eat more fruits and vegetables, or simply curious about the connection between food and sustainability, Greener Diet offers a welcoming place to learn, connect and grow.
Impact by the Numbers
1,200+ members across 13+ countries
12+ virtual events (educational series, cooking demos, program kick-offs) and 4 in-person sampling events hosted annually
125+ participants and sustained year-over-year growth in Growing Greener peer-led learning pods
Preparing for our 5th annual Veganuary Workplace Challenge participation
These results reflect growing employee interest in wellness and sustainability and demonstrate the power of community in helping people build healthier, more sustainable habits.
Looking Ahead
As Greener Diet continues to grow, so does its potential impact. Every employee who attends an event, joins a challenge, shares a recipe or makes one more plant-forward choice contributes to something larger than themselves.
Meaningful change doesn't happen all at once. It happens through thousands of small choices made every day.
One choice. One conversation. One meal at a time.
Lessons from Greener Diet: How to Build a Movement at Work
Greener Diet's journey offers lessons that can apply to almost any employee-led initiative.
Start with passion, not perfection. Before there was a newsletter, speaker series or annual challenge, there was simply a conversation and an email to 25 people. The community helped shape everything that followed.
Focus on progress over perfection. One of Greener Diet's guiding principles has always been: "Meet people where they are." Rather than promoting a single way of eating, the group encourages employees to explore small, sustainable changes that align with their personal goals and lifestyles. Over the past three years, members have consistently rated Greener Diet approximately 4.5 out of 5 for inclusivity in our annual survey.
Create experiences, not just content. Every program is designed around three questions:
-Will participants find it useful?
-Is it engaging?
-Can participants apply what they've learned immediately?
Practical takeaways, meaningful connections and a welcoming, lighthearted community keep people learning, growing and coming back for more.
Build partnerships early. Collaboration with sustainability leaders, wellness teams, Employee Networks, My Environment chapters and Compass, our global food services provider, helped expand Greener Diet's reach and impact.
Measure and celebrate success. Tracking participation, gathering feedback and sharing stories helped build momentum, demonstrate value and attract new members over time.
The biggest lesson? Meaningful change doesn't start with thousands of people. It starts with a few passionate individuals who take the first step and invite others to join them.
Want to bring these insights into your organisation? Our Workplace Catalyst for Change programme can help.
