Conversations with Vihari Ayyalasomayajula

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vihari Ayyalasomayajula.

Vihari, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The Green Ink Initiative started with a simple idea: using creativity to inspire environmental awareness in the youth. I started by designing short, engaging comics for young children—colorful stories that teach eco-friendly habits and climate concepts in a way that’s fun and relatable. What began as local outreach has now grown into an international effort, reaching children in multiple countries around the world.

But I wanted to go beyond education and directly address food insecurity too. So, I started working hands-on in underserved communities around Atlanta—farming, cultivating, and distributing fresh vegetables to families in need.

The Green Ink Initiative has two goals: educating young minds across the world and growing food for those who need it most.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. When I first started, I wasn’t sure where to begin—especially when it came to the farming side of the project. I didn’t know how to find local farms to support or even how the process of urban farming really worked. There were a lot of questions I had but no one to contact.

Finally, I saw change when I received a grant from the mayor for a different community-focused project I was working on. That experience gave me the tools and connections I needed to take things further. I began to understand how to do hands-on environmental work. With that foundation, I was able to expand the Green Ink Initiative to include not just comic distribution, but also real-world farming efforts here in Atlanta.

Now, I’m focused on getting local youth involved—their not just learning about environmental change, but actively creating it.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
The Green Ink Initiative is a youth-led environmental project that uses storytelling to help make change in our community. We design educational comics for young children—teaching them in a fun and accessible way. What sets us apart from others is our two goals: pairing global education with hands-on action.

In Atlanta, we work directly in underserved communities, farming and cultivating fresh produce and distributing it to families in need. This hands-on farming work grew from a mayoral grant I received for a previous project, which helped me gain the tools and experience to expand Green Ink’s impact.

I’m proud that our initiative doesn’t just teach change, it creates it. Now we’re working to get more youth involved in both the storytelling and the farming efforts.

We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
Luck has played an important role in my journey. One of the most impactful moments was receiving a grant from the mayor for a different project. At that time, I didn’t realize how much that opportunity could help expand this project—not just through funding, but also experience. That moment of luck gave me the confidence to pursue this project and build Green Ink Initiative into what it is today.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thegreeninkinitiative/