Demand Logic’s inspires next generation with green technology and innovation at COP26
On Saturday (6th November), almost a week into COP26, Mike Darby, CEO of Demand Logic, went back to school to talk about green careers, skills and education. The event, organised by the Department for Education, took place in the first-ever GenZero classroom hosted by the Secretary of State, The Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi MP. Mike spoke with a class of around 25 students from Glasgow, about how his fascination with coding as a teenager translated into his early career as buildings began to become digitalised, and how the limitations of those systems led him and his co-founders to create Demand Logic, helping to link innovation with climate change to pursue a career in sustainability.
Mr. Zahawi started the lesson by talking about the Department for Education’s recently announced sustainability and climate change strategy. Following that, scientists and innovators including Director of LightSIM, Rosemary McLafferty, Professor John Rowan of the University of Dundee, Professor Richard Betts of the University of Exeter, and Pedro Pina from YouTube joined Mike in their own ‘show and tell’ presentation about their roles in addressing climate change, whilst explaining their own educational pathways towards green careers.
Mike Darby took to the rostrum, explaining his journey from changing course in his education - leaving his A-Levels early to starting an apprenticeship for more hands-on learning. He was initially interested in the massive carbon impact of buildings, and was gradually dismayed that the then-current solutions were failing to deliver to their potential due to their complexity, siloing of data and lack of analytic tools. Mike went on to co-found Demand Logic, a PropTech company, to help building owners and facilities managers get the best performance from their buildings, reducing both energy costs and carbon emissions in the process. The group of students, aged between 14-22, provided a lively debate about green careers with one asking how to find a truly green job. Mike’s advice was to be analytical, search behind the hype, be wary of greenwash, trust your own moral compass and don’t assume that someone else has solved the problems you see.
Mike Darby, CEO of Demand Logic, said:
“I was delighted to speak at the GenZero classroom and meet the innovators of the future, who will inherit a massive burden of responsibility from previous generations. COP26 has turned up the volume surrounding climate action and our generation must do everything we can to inspire and empower the leaders, innovators and workers of tomorrow to ensure a future for life on Earth.
“Demand Logic is here to give teams the tools to cut back on carbon emissions from their buildings, cutting waste is the quickest, cheapest and easiest step for any organisation.”
The prototype classroom, developed inside the inspirational Construction Scotland Innovation Centre in Hamilton to the south east of Glasgow, was purpose-built using environmentally friendly materials such as wood, with near passive heating and natural ventilation.
Demand Logic’s technology allows organisations to save 40,000 tonnes of CO2 a year and £6.9m per year in energy costs through their Building Analytics platform. The proptech company recently announced their partnership with Mace MEP where they delivered energy optimisation at the HYLO building in Central London. If you wish to connect with Demand Logic, please email info@demandlogic.co.uk or call +44 20 7193 4212.
