introducing innovationmap

Houstonians toast innovation with preview of game-changing media outlet

Recently, an intimate group of professionals representing myriad local industries and sectors gathered for an intimate soft launch of InnovationMap. The newest site from Gow Media and the team behind CultureMap, InnovationMap will shine a spotlight on innovation in Houston within startups, tech, health, energy, social impact, and more.

In addition to thoughtful news stories, InnovationMap will profile leaders within the industry and feature thought leadership content from guest contributors, as well as partner content.

The crowd of business, civic, media, and cultural leaders packed the home of Gow Media CEO David Gow for the soiree. The lively group included Bill McKeon, CEO of the Texas Medical Center; Mark Montgomery of BBVA Compass Bank; Dominique Sachse of Channel 2; style master Ceron of Ceron Hair Studio; Urbane Society entrepreneur Nick Florescu; and creative consultant Brad Deutser. They were joined by Gow Media celebs such as ESPN 97.5’s Fred Faour, A.J. Hoffman, and Charlie Pallilo.

Guests feasted on a sumptuous grand display from Tony’s, boasting imported cheeses and meats from Italy, house-made breads and crostinis, and spectacular mini deserts — highlighted by Donna Vallone’s biscotti. Partygoers also noshed on Tony’s menu items, such as Hudson Valley foie gras “Cotton Candy,” saffron-cured yellowtail with Osetra caviar with blood orange beurre blanc, avocado pancakes with jumbo lump crabmeat and pico de gallo, and Crescent Island duck confit stuffed pasta with Norcia Black Truffles and parmigiano stravecchio. The fare was washed down with a vast selection of wine and spirits, including Napa wines from Stark Advantage and whiskeys from Glenfiddich and Balvenie.

Gow welcomed the group, recognizing sponsors and representatives from BBVA Compass, Baker Botts, Briggs & Veselka Co., Acme Party and Tent, Tony’s, Stark Advantage wines, and Glenfiddich. He also introduced editorial director Arden Ward and InnovationMap’s editor, Natalie Harms.

“Houston’s a great city to do business in, and it’s great to have a single place to go to, where people can see what’s going on in the city, relative to innovation — in all walks, it can be innovation, medical, you name it,” BBVA’s Montgomery says of InnovationMap. “It’s an exciting way to bring everyone together to make this city even better.”

InnovationMap will officially launch November 15, but you can keep up with the latest developments on Twitter and Instagram.

Lauren and Lawson Gow (center) and guests.

Photo by Jacob Power

Lauren and Lawson Gow (center) and guests.

young-professionals inspiration

Sustainability slide

Houston ranks 99th out of 100 in new study of greenest U.S. cities

downtown Houston skyline smog haze pollution

Forums.AnandTech.com

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Houstonians may be feeling blue about a new ranking of the greenest cities in the U.S.

Among the country’s 100 largest cities based on population, Houston ranks 99th across 28 key indicators of “green” living in a new study from personal finance website WalletHub. The only city with a lower ranking is Glendale, Arizona. Last year, Houston landed at No. 98 on the WalletHub list.

“‘Green’ living means a choice to engage in cleaner, more sustainable habits in order to preserve the planet as much as possible,” WalletHub says.

Among the study’s ranking factors are the amount of greenhouse gas emissions per capita, the number of “smart energy” policies, and the presence of “green job” programs.

In the study, Houston received an overall score of 35.64 out of 100. WalletHub put its findings into four buckets, with Houston ranked 100th in the environment and transportation categories, 56th in the lifestyle and policy category, and 52nd in the energy sources category.

In the environment category, Houston has two big strikes against it. The metro area ranks among the 10 worst places for ozone pollution (No. 7) and year-round particle pollution (No. 8), according to the American Lung Association’s 2025 list of the most polluted cities.

In the WalletHub study, San Jose, California, earns the honor of being the country’s greenest city. It’s followed by Washington, D.C.; Oakland, California; Irvine, California; and San Francisco.

Houston ranks the lowest out of all Texas cities in the report. Here is where other Texas cities landed:

Austin: No. 26
Lubbock: No. 42
El Paso: No. 45
San Antonio: No. 51
Laredo: No. 55
Garland: No. 62
Irving: No. 64
Fort Worth: No. 69
Plano: No. 77
Corpus Christi: No. 79
Arlington: No. 81
Dallas: No. 86

“There are plenty of things that individuals can do to adopt a green lifestyle, from recycling to sharing rides to installing solar panels on their homes,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in the report. “However, living in one of the greenest cities can make it even easier to care for the environment, due to sustainable laws and policies, access to locally grown produce, and infrastructure that allows residents to use vehicles less often. The greenest cities also are better for your health due to superior air and water quality.”

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This story originally appeared on our sister site, EnergyCapitalHTX.

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