Mark Buss, Digital Sustainability Manager at OVO, brings 15+ years of software engineering experience to his mission of reducing the carbon impact of tech. A Green Software Foundation Practitioner, he shares practical insights on low-carbon development, sustainable cloud practices, and building community through Green Software Brighton.

Which talk/panel did you speak at?

Sustainable Development from the Inside Out: Driving Change Within Tech Teams

Can you share a bit about your background?

An experienced software engineer who discovered the impact tech is having on climate and the environment and wanted to help. Championing green software practices through my role as Digital Sustainability Manager at OVO and co-organiser of the Green Software Brighton meetup group.

What inspired you to speak at EVOLVE [25]?

There is a growing community around Digital Sustainability in Brighton. EVOLVE was a great opportunity to celebrate this, as well as highlight it to other members of the local tech scene who may not be aware.

What was the key message or idea you most wanted the audience to take away from your talk?

Anyone in tech can think about sustainability as part of their role and the first step is to just start talking about it.

Were there any audience reactions or questions that really stood out to you?

Honestly I can’t remember, it was a blur!

How does the topic you spoke about connect to your current work or passion projects?

My day job is looking at Digital Sustainability now so I live what we were discussing on the panel full time!

What emerging trends or challenges in tech (or your field) are you most excited about right now?

Obviously AI is exciting, but also scary when we think about the environmental impacts. I’m eager to see where it will be used to help with sustainability issues such as balancing supply and demand of renewable electricity on the grid. We must be conscious of it’s growing consumption of energy and make sure there is a balance between using it for good, and minimising the negative impacts it has on the environment.

What advice would you give to someone looking to make an impact in your area of expertise?

Start the conversation. The more people are talking and thinking about Digital Sustainability, the more it will become part of the day-to-day. And take the free Green Software Practitioner training course!

How do you see the future evolving in your industry over the next few years?

I work in energy, there is a big push at the moment to get UK homes off of gas by electrifying heating with heat pumps. We also need to ensure that electricity is coming from majority renewable sources. Tech will have a big role to play in these challenges.

What was your favourite part of the EVOLVE experience?

The fact sustainability was an integral thread running through the day, it gave me hope that Brighton will play a big part in decarbonising tech moving forward.

What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects, initiatives, or goals you’re excited to share?

We have some exciting events coming up at Green Software Brighton this year so please join our meetup group if you are interested to learn more!

What’s one book, podcast, or resource that’s inspired you recently?

So many to choose from – I have to say GreenIO is a great podcast on digital sustainability and they also have a conference coming up in London in September so well worth checking out. Also Building Green Software from O’Reilly is an excellent foundational book for anyone wanting to learn more, well written with a good sense of humour too.

How can people connect with you or follow your work after the event?

I’m on LinkedIn, ClimateAction.tech slack, Silicon Brighton Slack and at the Green Software Brighton meetup

Anything else you would like to share with our community?

Thanks for having me at EVOLVE [25] can’t wait until next year!