MK Geek Night

#36 Mar 24 2021

19:30-21:45 GMT

MKGN Sustainability Special

The Next MKGN will be held on Wednesday 24th March 2021. The Live Stream will commence at 19:30GMT and should finish at approximately 21:45GMT. We'll hold a live Q&A and the end, after all of the speakers have presented.

MKGN is in collaboration with and supported by Protospace for this event, with the theme of Sustainability + Tech. Tickets are FREE, so register now!

Topics, speakers & schedule

Timings are approximate

Natalia Waniczek

Working towards a greener world from behind the keyboard

Natalia will discuss the ways technology is affecting the environment and climate change and she will explore processes which developers can use in their work to create a greener web. Realising it’s not only through code that we can make a difference, she will also discuss implementable ideas to make systematic change within a company that makes a positive, sustainable impact on the surrounding world.

About Natalia

Natalia is a web developer building hybrid mobile apps and websites at Elixel. With a passion for the environment she’s recently started an Environmental Science degree and is hoping to combine her knowledge of technology and the living world to advocate for climate change. If she’s not coding or fighting for social and environmental justice, she’s either exploring Cornwall with her whippet Dobby, climbing rocks or trying to out lift everyone in the gym.

Natalia Waniczek
Web Developer

Chris Flack

'Mate Act Now' A protest for the digital generation

“In a normal world, the 50th anniversary of Earth Day would see countless projects and initiatives launching to promote us all to make a change in our lives to impact the environment for the better. The current crisis, however, has changed the context. This year’s Earth Day took a different tone, and a different format online, with one of the largest and most globally unifying projects of the day borne out of New Zealand titled — Mate Act Now.”

In response to the 2019/20 Australian bushfires, and recontextualised by the global outbreak of COVID-19, https://mateactnow.com is a co-ordinated response of over 200 designers from some of the world’s top creative studios to drive climate action.

We know that a poster in itself can't affect change. It is people’s actions that will make a difference. So if the world’s reaction to COVID-19 dispels any doubt we have about our ability to act when needed, the question now is: do we have the willpower to act against this?

About Chris

Chris’s career has taken him from one side of the world to the other and back again.

Over the years, he’s taken underwater selfies to encourage people to swim more and created shadows of Giacometti's artworks to sell out exhibitions. He rebranded Christmas for one of New Zealand’s top magazines, and he may be the first person ever to get the design community to embrace Comic Sans (much to the dismay of all involved) to help fight cancer. His current passion project uses a “digital protest” to create awareness of the ongoing need for climate action.

He met his now wife while climbing Mt Kilimanjaro to raise money for the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal and, in 2006, spent a year of his life facing down his fears — by doing two things a week that took him out of his comfort zone. He’s run the London Marathon and appeared on ITV's Dinner date (to prove that Kiwi males can cook).

At the heart of all his work is an honest simplicity and a love for the craft. His ideas have been featured in everything from Mashable to Creative Review. His designs have graced the walls of the Mexican Museum of Design (MUMEDI) and the OFF Festival in Barcelona. He regularly writes, judges and talks (too much) about design.

Chris Flack
Design Director

Tom Greenwood

A greener web is better for everyone

Tom will talk about how the internet, although having huge potential to benefit the environment, also has a huge environmental footprint of its own. However, when we embrace sustainability as a key principle in our digital projects, we can deliver work that is truly better for everyone.

About Tom

Tom Greenwood is the cofounder of Wholegrain Digital, a Certified B Corp and 'green' trailblazer in the digital agency world. Tom is known for writing and speaking about how business, design, and web technology can be part of the solution to environmental issues and is author of the book, Sustainable Web Design.

Tom Greenwood
Business Leader + Author
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