Bridging Green Software, AI, and Sustainable UX – Insights from Beetroot’s Green Tech Talk

On November 7, Beetroot hosted an insightful panel discussion titled “Green Tech Talk: Leaders on UX Design, Green Software, AI & Big Data,” moderated by Beetroot’s Chief Growth Officer, Sebastian Streiffert. The panel aimed to bridge green software and green products within the larger GreenTech ecosystem, focusing on their technical and sustainability aspects. Key topics included impactful AI use cases, sustainable design, team culture, and future trends in the field.

The stellar lineup of panelists included Asim Hussain, Executive Director of the Green Software Foundation; Stephen Bay, Senior Director of Product Growth and Innovation at ClimeCo; Simon Puleston Jones, Founder and Managing Director of Emral Carbon; and Nahla Salem, Head of Product at Haven Energy. Each brought unique perspectives to the table, representing technical, regulatory, and product-driven approaches to sustainability in technology.

Understanding Green Software: Key Concepts and Perspectives

Green Software as Carbon-Efficient Software

Asim Hussain set the stage by defining green software according to the Green Software Foundation’s principles, which he described as “carbon-efficient software.” This approach means acknowledging and reducing the carbon footprint of software to make solutions more sustainable. “And so we say that green software is software that we describe as carbon-efficient, which means for each unit of value that is given to an end user, it’s emitting the least amount of carbon possible,” he stated. He explained that the foundation of green software lies in three pillars: energy efficiency, hardware efficiency, and carbon-aware computing.

Highlighting carbon-aware computing, Hussain explained, “Right now, [carbon-aware computing] is defined as doing more when the electricity is clean… and doing less when the electricity is dirty.” This approach offers a dynamic and responsive solution to manage emissions, allowing software to maximize sustainability by adjusting its energy use based on the grid’s renewable energy availability. Moving forward, he envisions software “that will respond not only to signals from the electricity grid but also from signals from infrastructure as well.”

Applying Green Software to Diverse Use Cases

Simon Puleston Jones, offering a finance and regulatory perspective, compared green tech software to a data center acting as a hedge fund, where energy usage can be optimized or sold based on grid demand. “You can think of it as a bit like a data center as a hedge fund where they can consume the energy when it’s cheap… and sell the electricity to the extent they don’t need it to power the data center,” he explained. He emphasized that this concept ties directly to Scope 3 emissions or emissions from the supply chain and that “you can mitigate some of that… through these… smart solutions and carbon awareness.”

Puleston Jones also emphasized that green software’s impact isn’t limited to energy usage — it’s about the range of applications it supports. “For me, green tech is just as much about the use case of the tech as the use of clean energy in the tech,” he noted. From electric vehicles and battery technology to mobile apps that help users make their homes more sustainable, he observed, “It’s really interesting to see the whole gamut of software, hardware, and advanced technology, and the use case being green itself.”

Using Software to Enable Dynamic Footprinting and Actionable Insights

Stephen Bay’s perspective focused on the importance of tracking emissions in real time to drive meaningful reductions. “How do you give people footprinting information? How do you let them know what gets measured, gets managed?” he asked, highlighting the need for software that informs users of their impact and guides decision-making on the spot.

Bay pointed out that companies need tools to track emissions within their supply chains, particularly large organizations with complex supplier networks. “If you’re a big company, a Fortune 100 company, you deal with tens of thousands of suppliers,” he explained. For Bay, green software’s ultimate goal is to enable companies to measure, manage, and drive supply chain decarbonization effectively.

Green Software as an Umbrella Term for Sustainability Solutions

For Nahla Salem, green software represents a broader spectrum of sustainability efforts. Describing it as an “umbrella term,” she emphasized that “any solutions to get to a greener planet and reduce the impact of climate change” can fall under green software. Haven Energy, where Salem leads as Head of Product, has an ambitious goal to help people take charge of their energy for good and pave the way for cleaner power use through smart solar and battery systems. “We’re trying to promote energy independence and clean electricity,” she explained, highlighting that software can drive significant progress in solving real-world problems we are facing now for a sustainable future.

Why Is It Important to Measure the Environmental Impact of Software?

Regulatory Drivers for Measurement

Puleston Jones stressed that regulatory pressures make emissions measurement essential for many companies. “Increasingly, there are emissions trading schemes around the world that say you’re allowed to emit a certain amount of carbon. But if you emit more than that, you have to pay for it by buying emissions allowances in compliance markets,” he explained. This reality drives companies to adopt continuous data-driven measurement systems, starting with a baseline to track progress. “You need a measure to understand where you are to start off with… and then map that against your target and how you’re actually remaining on target. Without the data, without that measurement, you can’t get to your destination because you’re going to need to constantly refine the journey as you look to decarbonize,” he added.

Investor Expectations and the Economic Imperative

Bay agreed, noting that investor expectations add further urgency. “If you look at major investment corporations like BlackRock… Larry Fink, the CEO of BlackRock, wrote a letter to the CEOs in 2018 where he basically said the biggest risk to all of their assets is climate change,” he said. This statement has pushed large firms to decarbonize, creating pressure across their entire supply chains.

In Bay’s view, addressing climate change is also critical for economic resilience. “From a regulation standpoint, you need to. From an investor standpoint, you need to. And, you know, if we want the economy to continue to grow over the next 50 years, you need to,” he concluded.

The Complexity of Setting Standards for Accurate Measurement

Hussain highlighted the technical challenges in measuring emissions, noting, “Measurement is key to everything, but it’s not easy to measure right now.” The Green Software Foundation, he explained, is working to create standards to address questions such as what to measure and what to exclude. “We need an unbelievable level of standards… we’ve barely scratched the surface,” he said, calling for clarity to reduce greenwashing and provide companies with consistent benchmarks.

Standardization as a Tool Against Greenwashing

Bay agreed with Hussain’s point on the need for standardized measurements, adding, “Amazon or Microsoft will measure a laptop differently than Apple.” This lack of standardization, he argued, enables greenwashing. With consistent benchmarks, companies can focus on genuine emissions reduction. “Without a standard way to measure it… there’s no incentive to reduce emissions,” he explained.

Keeping Teams Focused on Green Software

Building Momentum Through Founders’ Vision

Nahla Salem emphasized that a founder’s vision for impact can inspire and sustain team focus on sustainability. “What I have seen work very well,” she explained, “is when the founders are able to relay that vision to the team and, at the same time, have metrics to keep the company honest and keep the team engaged over time. With time, this momentum of people who wanted to do something created businesses, which in turn created momentum for legislation to change, which created the need to standardize and measure, which in turn created more awareness and more business opportunities.” She described this as a “flywheel effect” that continues pushing green tech companies forward.

The Role of Cultural Alignment in Teamwork

Simon Puleston Jones noted that aligning team culture, particularly when working with external partners, is crucial. “If your culture between you and the external team… are very, very different, it’s very difficult to get everyone pulling in the same direction,” he said. This cultural alignment ensures that both internal and external stakeholders share a commitment to sustainability, creating a unified and focused approach.

Cohesion Through Shared Mindset and Values

Reflecting on his experience, Sebastian Streiffert agreed that aligning teams around a shared purpose is essential. “Making sure the culture’s there, the right mindset… it’s everything,” he remarked. This insight underlines that a cohesive team culture, driven by shared values, strengthens the collective commitment to sustainable goals. Building and maintaining a sustainable team focus — rooted in visionary leadership, cultural alignment, and a genuine dedication to making a positive impact at scale — embodies Beetroot’s values and mission as a forward-thinking tech ecosystem.

Overcoming Resistance to Sustainability in Software Development

Navigating Sustainability as a Series of Trade-Offs

Asim Hussain explained that resistance to sustainability often arises from necessary trade-offs, as companies weigh sustainability goals against other priorities. He emphasized that “sustainability still is a very hard sell,” and the key is to align green initiatives with an organization’s existing goals. “You’ve got to find these moments of alignment. And then the magic happens, and things accelerate forward,” he said. By positioning sustainability as complementary to other business objectives, Hussain suggested companies could make progress even when resources are limited.

The Business Case for Sustainability and Talent Attraction

Stephen Bay emphasized that developing a business case for sustainability is critical, especially in markets where consumer and employee expectations are evolving. “People want to work for companies that make an impact. People want to be on the right side of what we say is the biggest fight of our generation, which is climate change,” he remarked. He added that this commitment to sustainability also helps attract talent who are motivated by meaningful work, creating a competitive advantage for companies that prioritize environmental impact.

Securing Buy-In from CFOs and Budget Holders

Simon Puleston Jones noted that resistance to sustainability initiatives often comes from budget holders, particularly CFOs, who may prioritize immediate cost savings over long-term sustainability. He suggested that client demand can be a powerful motivator, advising companies to leverage this to make their case. “Get a critical mass of your clients to say this really matters,” he advised, arguing that customer advocacy can reinforce the business value of green initiatives and help secure internal buy-in.

A Product Management Approach: The Role of a Compelling Story

Nahla Salem emphasized the importance of how businesses tell a story in building support for sustainability initiatives and aligning stakeholders. Her company highlights the tangible benefits of clean energy. “In my company, we try to get people to move to clean energy, and that comes with a bill. So we try to tell the story, as Simon mentioned, about where the money is going — the savings they would be able to achieve — but also how they could reduce carbon emissions. We try to quantify that to tell a holistic story that speaks to everyone,” she explained.

Together, these strategies reveal that overcoming resistance to green initiatives requires a mix of alignment, advocacy, and clear communication of the value that sustainability brings to the company and its stakeholders.

The Recruitment Challenges in a New Industry

Nahla Salem mentioned the unique recruitment challenges in green tech, noting that because it’s such a new field, finding candidates with direct experience is difficult. “The biggest challenge has been… there’s no one that has experience because this is so new,” she explained. Her team sought candidates adept at handling complexity and ambiguity and who can adapt to the rapid changes typical in green tech. Salem’s approach highlights the importance of hiring versatile talent who can navigate the uncharted territories of green tech.

Green UX: Is Sustainable UX a Real Need in Product Development?

Efficiency at the Core of Green UX

Addressing design, Simon Puleston Jones underscored that Green UX is primarily about efficiency, emphasizing that designing products to streamline user experience directly reduces resource consumption. “The design of a product is really about efficiency,” he stated. By eliminating unnecessary steps, companies can improve both the user experience and the sustainability of the software.

Carbon-Aware Design and User Flexibility

Asim Hussain views sustainable design as an extension of carbon-aware computing principles, where user experience design is optimized based on energy availability. He explained how Microsoft’s carbon-aware updates in Windows and Xbox illustrate this principle, stating that they “will only download updates when the electricity is clean.” By allowing software to adjust based on real-time resource conditions, Hussain believes user experience and user actions in response to those options can help reduce overall emissions.

Green UX as a Strategic Advantage

Coming from a business case perspective, Stephen Bay highlighted that Green UX also serves a business purpose: “It’s about how you improve the customer experience while also reducing consumption,” he said. Bay’s view emphasizes that Green UX offers a dual benefit, aligning sustainability with business objectives to enhance both user experience and operational efficiency.

Shifting from Hypergrowth to Disciplined Development

Nahla Salem pointed to a cultural shift away from the pursuit of growth at any cost, a mindset especially prevalent in startups. “Just until very recently, the culture in software has always been about hypergrowth… without paying attention to resources, be that money, people, let alone energy,” she observed. This shift, she said, offers a timely opportunity for companies to adopt a more disciplined approach to finding product-market fit, formulating and validating hypotheses, and embracing sustainable development practices.

The panelists’ views collectively illustrate that Green UX is both a practical and strategic approach, offering environmental benefits while aligning with efficient, user-centered design.

Examples of Great AI/ML-Driven Green Tech Initiatives

AI as an Accelerator for Carbon Market Initiatives

Simon Puleston Jones shared examples of how AI accelerates sustainability efforts within the carbon market. He cited an AI solution that generated Ferrari’s sustainability report within hours, a task that would typically take weeks. “That same company… can create project design documents for carbon projects in a matter of hours,” he said. This use of AI accelerates carbon project implementation, allowing companies to achieve impact faster and more efficiently.

AI for Supply Chain Transparency and Innovation

Another vital use case, which Stephen Bay highlighted, is AI’s potential for supply chain transparency. He explained how it enables “instant footprinting of products” across multiple supply chain layers: “AI can help figure out where the hotspots are across supply chains that need to be decarbonized.” He also noted AI’s role in driving innovation in material science, mentioning its use in discovering sustainable materials and supporting energy generation advancements like fusion energy.

Balancing AI’s Benefits with Its Environmental Costs

Asim Hussain cautioned against overusing generative AI due to its high energy demands, urging companies to adopt more sustainable models. “We need to figure out ways to make AI more sustainable,” he stated, advocating for efficient AI models that minimize environmental impact. Hussain sees AI as a powerful tool when used responsibly, but he emphasizes the importance of developing energy-efficient solutions.

Raising Awareness of AI’s Environmental Impact

“The work that organizations are doing can help a lot in the awareness and the cultural shift for folks to understand that… literally chatting with ChatGPT… has a big energy impact,” said Nahla Salem, highlighting the importance of raising awareness about the energy impact of generative AI. She pointed out that AI’s widespread adoption requires careful consideration of its environmental costs, especially as it becomes more mainstream.

These insights reveal AI’s dual potential in green tech: to accelerate sustainable initiatives while demanding careful management to minimize its environmental footprint.

How Developers Can Be More Mindful of Energy Consumption

Asim Hussain emphasized that mindful energy consumption starts with measurement, though he acknowledged the challenges involved. “It’s still extremely hard to measure the energy of software,” he explained. To support developers, Hussain recommended resources like the Green Software Foundation’s Impact Framework, which provides guidance on tracking software’s carbon footprint. He argued that consistent measurement is essential for making informed, energy-conscious decisions in software development.

Awareness is a key aspect of Beetroot’s commitment to educating developers on sustainable practices through green coding workshops available via our Academy. By raising awareness and equipping developers with practical tools, we aim to empower companies and teams to make a positive impact and reduce the environmental footprint of their solutions.

Do People and Companies Actually Care About Green Software?

Answering this question from the audience, Stephen Bay argued that green features have become a “competitive advantage” for companies, especially as consumers increasingly value sustainability. He cited the climate risk data features (such as flood maps and data warnings in addition to property information) offered by online real estate brokerages like Zillow and Redfin as examples of green software that add value for users. Bay stressed that green features can help companies capture new markets and differentiate themselves from competitors. “If it’s adding value to the user, and it’s a competitive advantage, yeah, companies care about it,” he said.

To sum up the panelists’ viewpoints, green features go beyond mere compliance — they also offer growth opportunities. By integrating green features, companies can tap into the growing market of eco-conscious consumers, strengthening the business case for sustainability. Green software has evolved from being a trend to becoming a strategic factor for competitive success and a market-driven priority, with companies increasingly motivated to adopt sustainability practices as both a differentiator and a growth strategy.

Future Trends in Green Software Development

Asim Hussain predicted that carbon-aware computing will drive future green software development, where software dynamically responds to energy grid conditions. “AI has been the thing driving this,” he noted, explaining that AI’s high energy demands are pushing developers to prioritize efficiency. Hussain mentioned that interest is growing in developing AI solutions that recommend sustainable coding practices, although broad-spectrum solutions are still in progress.

Eventually, AI could also promote sustainable coding practices in the future. By embedding best practices directly into AI models, developers could gain real-time recommendations on efficient code. Stephen Bay’s insights suggest a future where AI itself becomes a tool for sustainability, enabling companies to achieve green goals more effectively.

On a Concluding Note

The Beetroot Green Tech Panel offered rich insights into the complex and evolving landscape of green software, sustainable UX, and the role of AI in creating a sustainable future. From defining green software to emphasizing the importance of measurement, the panelists illustrated that effective sustainability is rooted in data-driven approaches, cohesive team culture, and innovative applications. As these technologies evolve, they offer new paths for tech companies to drive both environmental and economic value, setting a foundation for green solutions across industries.

At Beetroot, we’re dedicated to advancing green tech through software development, talent solutions, and custom training programs designed to build sustainable development skills. Stay tuned for future events and insights as we continue exploring green tech’s potential to reshape industries. Contact us to learn how Beetroot can support your journey toward impactful, sustainable software solutions.