Mark Bjornsgaard and his co-founder saw an opportunity to turn waste into wealth. "What's that tub of massage oil in a home-brew bucket?" asked a day one investor. "It's free heat," was the reply that marked the beginning of an energy revolution.

In this compelling discussion, Elena Lambros uncovers how Mark's venture capital experience and a chance to impress a major utility company led to the birth of Deep Green. Initially viewed with scepticism, the company's technology harnesses the excessive heat generated by data centres and repurposes it to heat community swimming pools, providing both environmental and financial benefits.

Mark Bjornsgaard and his co-founder saw an opportunity to turn waste into wealth. "What's that tub of massage oil in a home-brew bucket?" asked a day one investor. "It's free heat," was the reply that marked the beginning of an energy revolution.
In this compelling discussion, Elena Lambros uncovers how Mark's venture capital experience and a chance to impress a major utility company led to the birth of Deep Green. Initially viewed with scepticism, the company's technology harnesses the excessive heat generated by data centres and repurposes it to heat community swimming pools, providing both environmental and financial benefits.

Sustainability is an issue that affects us all, but how can we take steps to provoke meaningful change and make a lasting impact on environmental, social and governance issues across the globe? We explore the intersection of business value with business values for a more prosperous and sustainable future.

Sustainability is an issue that affects us all, but how can we take steps to provoke meaningful change and make a lasting impact on environmental, social and governance issues across the globe? We explore the intersection of business value with business values for a more prosperous and sustainable future.

Join us for our first podcast series, ESG Matters @ Ashurst as we go searching for answers and providing practical advice to help you address the challenges facing your organisation.

ESG Matters @ Ashurst Podcast

ESG Matters @ Ashurst

A night at the pub led to the accidental yet revolutionary inception of Deep Green, a venture co-founder Mark Bjornsgaard believes can change the world.

Game Changers and Transition Makers: Repurposing data centre heat for social good

Partnering with supply chains, reimagining consumer packaging, and extending producer responsibility. All these issues – and more – are brought to life in this episode, where we hear from Raegan Kelly, Head of Product at Better For All.

Raegan and her colleagues are tackling plastic pollution head-on by manufacturing bio-based cups in California. In this podcast, she talks with Ashurst’s Elena Lambros about Better For All’s experimentation with biodegradable materials, collaboration with music festivals, and partnerships with composting services.

In telling her remarkable story of innovation, Raegan emphasises the importance of educating every partner across the whole supply chain. She also discusses how businesses could be further incentivised to reject packaging that pollutes the environment (and our bodies). And, away from her work life, Raegan explains the personal steps she is taking to reduce waste and consumption.

Listen to the complete Game Changers series – featuring an array of inspiring guests – by subscribing to ESG Matters @ Ashurst on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Partnering with supply chains, reimagining consumer packaging, and extending producer responsibility. All these issues – and more – are brought to life in this episode, where we hear from Raegan Kelly, Head of Product at Better For All.
Raegan and her colleagues are tackling plastic pollution head-on by manufacturing bio-based cups in California. In this podcast, she talks with Ashurst’s Elena Lambros about Better For All’s experimentation with biodegradable materials, collaboration with music festivals, and partnerships with composting services.
In telling her remarkable story of innovation, Raegan emphasises the importance of educating every partner across the whole supply chain. She also discusses how businesses could be further incentivised to reject packaging that pollutes the environment (and our bodies). And, away from her work life, Raegan explains the personal steps she is taking to reduce waste and consumption.
Listen to the complete Game Changers series – featuring an array of inspiring guests – by subscribing to ESG Matters @ Ashurst on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Raegan Kelly shares her learnings from designing, manufacturing and commercialising compostable cups in California.

Game Changers & Transition Makers: Overflowing with ideas to put an end to plastic packaging

Host Elena Lambros is joined by Robert de Burgh-Day, an innovative entrepreneur who transitioned from a diverse background into founding and becoming the CEO of Brightspace. Brightspace enhances building efficiency with an AI-driven HVAC ecosystem that optimises energy use and improves air quality for commercial applications.

Robert's diverse experiences in business, initially as an electrician, paved the way for Brightspace's creation and need. By identifying the evolution of the post-pandemic office space, Robert's clean technology ensures energy efficiency in buildings designed for less than constant occupancy.

Discover the nuts and bolts of Brightspace's system, which includes deploying wireless edge IoT products throughout buildings. These devices monitor real-time occupancy and air quality, providing targeted HVAC services without compromising privacy. Throughout the episode, Robert highlights the support and inspiration from peers in the climate tech community, emphasising the importance of platforms that connect innovators and support from industry leaders.

Host Elena Lambros is joined by Robert de Burgh-Day, an innovative entrepreneur who transitioned from a diverse background into founding and becoming the CEO of Brightspace. Brightspace enhances building efficiency with an AI-driven HVAC ecosystem that optimises energy use and improves air quality for commercial applications.
Robert's diverse experiences in business, initially as an electrician, paved the way for Brightspace's creation and need. By identifying the evolution of the post-pandemic office space, Robert's clean technology ensures energy efficiency in buildings designed for less than constant occupancy.
Discover the nuts and bolts of Brightspace's system, which includes deploying wireless edge IoT products throughout buildings. These devices monitor real-time occupancy and air quality, providing targeted HVAC services without compromising privacy. Throughout the episode, Robert highlights the support and inspiration from peers in the climate tech community, emphasising the importance of platforms that connect innovators and support from industry leaders.

Focused initially on air quality, Brightspace, a tech firm has its eyes firmly set on how it can solve broader ESG impacts.

Game Changers and Transition Makers: How A.I is shaping the future of sustainable buildings

Elena Lambros learns how Nikhil Chouguley's early experience in the Himalayas deeply influenced his path towards creating Sustopia, an ecosystem of blockchain, AI, and eventually quantum computing which are increasingly being harnessed to navigate financial investments to facilitate sustainable decision making.

In this wide-ranging conversation Nikhil discusses how we are on the cusp of a 'Green Industrial Revolution 4.0', driven by a younger generation of investors who value sustainability over short-term profits, a point that Sustopia aims to harness, guiding capital towards technologies and ventures that can shape a sustainable future.

Elena Lambros learns how Nikhil Chouguley's early experience in the Himalayas deeply influenced his path towards creating Sustopia, an ecosystem of blockchain, AI, and eventually quantum computing which are increasingly being harnessed to navigate financial investments to facilitate sustainable decision making. In this wide-ranging conversation Nikhil discusses how we are on the cusp of a 'Green Industrial Revolution 4.0', driven by a younger generation of investors who value sustainability over short-term profits, a point that Sustopia aims to harness, guiding capital towards technologies and ventures that can shape a sustainable future.

From a Mowgli-like childhood to a trailblazer in ESG, Nikhil Chouguley’s unique journey has lead him to ask: Are we, as investors, truly aware of the impact our money has on the world?

Game Changers and Transition Makers: Repurposing data centre heat for social good

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