ADVERTISEABOUT USSUBMIT A STORYSUBSCRIBETERMS OF USEPRIVACY POLICY
Visit our family of Brands

Artist collective brings carbon-absorbing murals to Houston

seeing green

Houston artists have created unique carbon-absorbing art. "Future's Past" by Emily Ding in partnership with UXD tells the story of the Mellie Esperson building. Photo courtesy of Dario DeLeon

Anthony Rose, the CEO of creative agency United By Design, is on a mission to brighten Houston’s urban spaces and improve the city’s air quality one carbon-absorbing mural at a time.

Rose originally founded United By Design, or UXD, in 2019 to connect muralists like himself and commercial businesses seeking to beautify their spaces and form brand identities. After creating vibrant murals for Lockhart Elementary School, the Houston Astros, and Smoothie King, Rose expanded UXD’s vision to include environmental sustainability in their artistic collaborations in 2022.

“This city’s vibrant art scene and growing focus on sustainability makes it an ideal location for our projects,” Rose says. “We’re not just creating eco-friendly murals, we’re reimagining how art can actively contribute to environmental solutions.”

In search of ecologically-conscious paints, Rose formed a partnership with Spain-based, natural paint company Graphenstone. Rose says he was drawn to the company’s eponymous Graphenstone coating because of its nontoxic ingredients and exclusively uses the product for UXD’s carbon-absorbing murals.

For 713 Day, UXD created carbon-absorbing mural "(HUE)STON HARMONY" in collaboration with Downtown Houston+ and local artist David Maldonado. Photo courtesy of Egidio Narvaez

The Graphenstone coating consists of a limestone base which goes through a process called photocatalysis, during which carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is absorbed into the surface, and is then sealed in with graphene, a thin layer of carbon atoms. The murals absorb carbon dioxide throughout the coat’s drying process which typically takes 30 days.

“Each of our murals absorbs about 1600 grams of CO2 during that curing process which is the equivalent daily absorption of about 33 growing trees,” Rose explains.

UXD’s largest carbon-absorbing mural to date is a floor-to-ceiling panorama in downtown Houston’s historic Mellie Esperson building, home to the company’s new creative hub. Painted by Houston-born artist Emily Ding, the mural is a tribute to the establishment’s namesake: an innovative, early 20th century entrepreneur who constructed the opulent building.

Rose says UXD plans to expand their carbon-absorbing murals project in collaboration with more local artists and establishments, while creating an artist-in-residency program themed around sustainability. Though Rose acknowledges in the grand scheme of carbon pollution these murals are not a silver bullet, he says the non-toxic paints are encouraging conversations about how artists can be conservation-minded.

“We’re trying to figure out how art as a messaging tool can help break down scientific data, a language not many people practice daily, can break down barriers and help bridge the gap to a more intuitive knowledge of sustainability,” Rose says. “We’re bringing the community together, helping them feel empowered, and giving them actionable information to help them live more sustainable lives.”

"Between Land and Sky" by artist David Maldonado was UXD's first carbon-absorbing painting. Photo courtesy of Dario DeLeon and Tommy Valdez

———

This article originally ran on InnovationMap.

From Your Site Articles
Ad Placement 300x100
Ad Placement 300x600

CultureMap Emails are Awesome

Property Showcase

Fervo Energy strikes largest-ever power deal with Google

geothermal milestone

In its largest-ever purchase agreement, Houston-based geothermal company Fervo Energy will supply 396 megawatts of power to tech powerhouse Google.

The deal includes an option for Google to expand capacity by about 600 megawatts, for a total of 1 gigawatt, by June 2030, according to a news release from Fervo. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.

Google will purchase carbon-free energy from Fervo for a potential data center in Utah, where Fervo is building its more than $2 billion Cape Station geothermal project.

Fervo applies oil-and-gas fracking technology to create geothermal reservoirs and generate electricity.

The first phase of Cape Station is expected to begin delivering geothermal power by late 2026, reaching about 100 megawatts of capacity by early 2027. The second phase, set for completion in 2028, will add 400 megawatts of capacity.

Fervo co-founder and CEO Tim Latimer said in a release that the Google agreement supports enhanced geothermal systems as a key power source for “the next generation of computing infrastructure.”

“The next chapter of advanced power generation technology is being written in Utah,” said Lucia Tian, director of advanced energy technologies at Google.

The Fervo-Google agreement builds on an existing partnership. Fervo’s Project Red pilot development in Nevada, which came online in 2023, supplies power to the local grid. Users of the grid power include Google’s data centers in Nevada.

Fervo subsequently signed a 115-megawatt purchase agreement with Google and NV Energy. The deal enabled Google to bring more geothermal energy to the Nevada grid while insulating everyday customers from the project’s costs.

The latest Google deal is part of the ongoing expansion of Cape Station beyond its initial 100-megawatt phase. Fervo says Cape Station will be the world’s largest enhanced geothermal facility.

The Google agreement comes during a milestone year for Fervo, which was founded in 2017. In May, Fervo’s IPO raised $2.2 billion. The company, whose early investors include Bill Gates, is now valued at $5.65 billion.

8+ Houston energy events you must attend in September 2026

Must-attend meetings

Editor's note: September is here, and that means the return of some of Houston's biggest energy events of the year. On the agenda are exciting week-long energy and climate happenings, conferences, and more. Mark your calendars for these top Houston energy transition events taking place in September 2026, and register now.

September 13-18: Houston Energy & Climate Week

Houston Energy & Climate Week is a six-day gathering that welcomes an unparalleled selection of global energy leaders and communities to the energy capital of the world for a full slate of events, from tech tours and networking to a climatetech summit and digital symposium.

This event kicks off September 13 and continues for six days. Find details here.

September 14-18: Houston Energy + Climate Startup Week

Launched in 2024, the official Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week returns for its third year, showcasing how Houston is developing and scaling real solutions by meeting growing global energy demand while reducing carbon emissions. Join leading energy and climate venture capital investors, industry leaders, and startups from around the world for this showcase of the most innovative companies and technologies that are transforming the energy industry while driving a sustainable, low-carbon energy future.

This event kicks off September 14 and continues all week. Find details here.

September 16-17: Energy Tech Venture Forum

The Rice Alliance Energy Tech Venture Forum (ETVF) brings together the founders, investors, corporate leaders, and operators building the next generation of energy systems. ETVF is where breakthrough ideas meet the capital, partnerships, and industry expertise needed to accelerate commercialization and deployment. The 23rd Energy Tech Venture Forum will take place as an anchor event for Houston Energy + Climate Startup Week.

This event begins September 16 at Rice University. Early bird registration is available here.

September 20-23: 2026 Geothermal Rising Conference

Geothermal Rising Conference is the industry’s flagship annual conference, reflecting the global nature of the geothermal industry while highlighting the width and breadth of the community. The conference offers technical, policy, and market sessions, educational seminars, tours of geothermal and renewable energy projects, and numerous networking opportunities. An additional expo showcases projects, services, and state-of-the-art technology and equipment for the geothermal community.

This event begins September 20 at Marriott Marquis Houston. Register here.

September 22-23: 2026 API Offshore Safe Lifting Conference & Expo

The 2026 API Offshore Safe Lifting Conference & Expo is your opportunity to see the latest offshore developments while sharing experiences, practices, and even information on real-life incidents. The 2026 program features two full days of technical sessions, regulatory insights, and networking focused on advancing offshore lifting safety, with keynotes, emerging technologies, and multiple networking opportunities.

This event begins September 22 at the Royal Sonesta Houston Galleria. Register here.

September 22-24: Intelligent Asset Management in Energy Summit

The Intelligent Asset Management in Energy Summit is the premier North American event dedicated to helping energy leaders unlock the full potential of their assets through advanced analytics, predictive maintenance, and integrated digital strategies. The 2026 summit will cover how innovative asset management solutions can reduce downtime, optimize performance, and deliver measurable ROI in a rapidly evolving energy landscape.

This event begins September 22 at Norris Conference Center. Register here.

September 24: Grid Flexibility Summit

The executive-level event focuses on managing surging power loads, ERCOT market challenges, and grid modernization. Through candid discussions and real-world case studies, attendees will explore how grid flexibility can act as a reliability resource, how C&I customers can become active grid partners, and how a flexible grid buys time for the development of utility-scale projects. Designed as an intimate, decision-focused forum, the event prioritizes practical insights over theory — and action over aspiration.

This event takes place September 24 at Clifford Chance. Register here.

September 29-30: Gas to Grid Infrastructure Summit

The Gas to Grid Infrastructure Summit addresses the practical infrastructure challenge behind AI growth: how to deliver reliable, scalable, affordable, and lower-carbon power when grid capacity, gas supply, equipment lead times, and permitting timelines are all under pressure. This is where utilities, midstream operators, data center developers, OEMs, EPCs, investors, regulators, and technology providers meet to define the commercial, technical, and regulatory pathways for the next wave of gas-fired and grid-connected infrastructure.

This event begins September 29 at Norris Conference Center. Register here.

SLB to expand data center cooling business via $4 billion acquisition

cool deal

Houston’s SLB has announced plans to acquire German thermal management and heat exchange technology organization Kelvion for approximately $4 billion.

SLB reports in a news release that the acquisition is expected to boost its Data Center Solutions business, as thermal management technologies are key to cooling artificial-intelligence-related infrastructure. Data centers continue to pose numerous challenges, but SLB believes thermal management technology can help ease energy burdens.

“Data centers are becoming more sophisticated and energy-intensive, and customers are increasingly looking for partners that can optimize how critical systems work together across the facility and help bring new capacity online faster,” Gavin Rennick, president of SLB’s New Energy and Industrial business, said in the release. “Thermal management is central to that challenge, and this acquisition allows us to address it directly by delivering more integrated cooling solutions, accelerating innovation, optimizing thermal efficiency, and more directly embedding thermal management into our modular infrastructure offering.”

SLB will acquire Kelvion from funds managed by New York-based financial services group Apollo Global Management Inc. for approximately $3.4 billion in cash and will assume about $700 million of debt, according to the release. The deal is expected to close in Q1 of 2027.

SLB says the acquisition will help it dramatically scale revenue generated by the data center sector.

“This transaction accelerates our ambition to become an industrial technology partner to the data center industry and help customers address the growing infrastructure complexity required to scale AI,” Olivier Le Peuch, CEO of SLB, added in a news release. “Kelvion advances our path toward more integrated data center infrastructure solutions, expands our addressable market — more than doubling our revenue opportunity per gigawatt of delivered capacity — and allows us to scale both our offerings and the global reach of the business.”

SLB reports that it expects its Data Center Solutions business revenues to grow by more than 90 percent annually between 2024 and 2026.

If the acquisition is approved, the combined company will target revenue of $4.5 billion to $5 billion for its data center solutions business in 2028, according to the release.

Kelvion has previously served customers in AI infrastructure, energy system transformation and energy/ industrial markets. Its past work focuses on heat pumps, renewables, carbon capture and processing solutions for thermal management. According to the news release, Kelvion's data center revenue is expected to reach about $1.2 billion in 2026, and the sector is considered the company’s "largest and fastest-growing end market.

View All Listings