Theme: TEDxHouston Countdown: Championing & Accelerating Climate Solutions

In the spirit of TED Countdown — a movement to champion and accelerate solutions to the climate crisis — TEDxHouston is excited to announce its first in-person Countdown event at POST on October 29, 2022. TEDxHouston Countdown will shine a spotlight on local leaders and global innovators at the forefront of energy, sustainability, the built environment, and environmental justice. Attendees and participants will enjoy cultural exhibits throughout POST with works aimed to evoke responses to our changing climate from designers and artists including Mel Chin, Luis Berrios Negron, and architect Juan Jose Castellon. The day will conclude with a celebration in POST’s “X” Atrium that is free and open to the public.

TED’s global community is rallying to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 in the race to achieve a world that is safer, cleaner and fairer for everyone. In light of the growing support for this in the U.S.—and especially in our region, where catastrophic weather-related events like Hurricane Harvey and Winter Storm Uri seem to occur almost every year, now—it is important for the public to understand how innovation, policy, and community-driven problem solving can work in tandem to tackle this incredible challenge. This is why we’re excited to bring TEDxHouston Countdown to POST, a sustainable space certified LEED Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council, on October 29: We’ll weave thoughtful talks, inclusive discussion, cultural exhibits, and inspiring entertainment together to engage Houstonians in these issues and hopefully inspire them to embrace how ‘being the change’ can, and must, start at home.

TEDxHouston Countdown 2022 will take place at POST, 401 Franklin in Downtown Houston, on October 29 from 9:00am to 1:00pm. Registration kicks off October 3, 2022, at https://tedxhoustoncountdown2022.eventbrite.com. Seating is limited and Early Bird tickets start at $50, which includes coffee, tea, lunch, and interactivities throughout the day!

POST
401 Franklin St
Houston, Texas, 77201
United States

Cath Conlon

Founder of Blackwood Educational Land Institute

In 2000, Cath Conlon established Blackwood Educational Land Institute as a nonprofit organization to remind students of humanity’s intrinsic bond with the land, to teach the interconnectivity of all living things, and to suggest that great things can happen only if we realize that this interdependence extends to our families and our communities as well. For nearly two decades, adults have savored Blackwood, participating in Mornings in the Country, private retreats, Farm to Table Experiences, and group workshops. In 2014, Blackwood evolved and changed its focus from nature education to resilient agriculture, connecting people to their food and modeling a closed loop food system.

Eric Rubenstein

Impact Investor

Eric Rubenstein is an investor with an enthusiastic focus on climate, impact, and sustainability. He has invested in dozens of companies: Professionally, as a corporate strategic investor and as a venture fund manager; and personally, on behalf of his and his family’s alternative investment strategies. Eric takes a collaborative approach to investing and believes in supporting early-stage companies by sharing his knowledge and network. Eric currently serves as Managing Partner of New Climate Ventures, with an investment focus on carbon reduction and avoidance, including climate tech, circular economy, and food/agriculture technologies.

Farish Mozley

Government Affairs

Farish Mozley is a Government Affairs Associate at EDP Renewables North America. Her expertise is in analyzing public dialogue across federal, state, and regional policy landscapes, coalition building, and crafting tailored public affairs strategy. She is passionate about clean energy and achieving an equitable energy transition. Farish previously worked as a Senior Consultant in Energy & Natural Resources in Washington, D.C., with lobbying, political consulting, and public sector experience from prior roles in the Texas House of Representatives and Austin-based boutique consulting firms. Farish holds two degrees from the University of Texas at Austin, including a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies, Political Communication as a member of the Moody College of Communication Senior Fellows Honors Program. After working in campaign consulting and advocacy post-graduation, Farish earned a Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs in 2020.

Jeffrey C. Carlson, PhD.

Biotechnology Conservationist

Dr. Jeff Carlson is a scientist, educator, entrepreneur, author, and STEAM advocate. Driven by his passion for scientific innovation and conservation, Jeff co-founded the nonprofit organization RioRaiz with the hopes of accelerating efforts for conservation, scientific discovery, and education. He has conducted workshops at Yale University, lectured at Rice University, and developed numerous international academic, industry, and philanthropic contributions to environmental stewardship, scientific advancement, and the next-generation of STEAM education. You can learn more about RioRaiz here: https://www.rioraiz.org/

Maria Burgos

Founder of Trendy Seconds

Maria Burgos is the founder of Trendy Seconds, a company helping women easily become responsible fashion consumers. Raised in Venezuela, a country where political and economical crises were the norm, Maria learned to create her own opportunities while developing the resilience to keep moving forward. Over the past 20 years, Maria has started 3 companies and held corporate positions, always aligned with her passion for helping others. Living in four different countries, working in a variety of industries and stressful environments, and experiencing diverse cultures has helped her understand that we all have more similarities than differences, regardless of our origin. Today, Maria deeply believes in the interconnection of people regardless of where they live because, in the end, we are all sharing this planet as our common home. She’s an advocate of small contributions that multiplied by millions can generate a meaningful impact.

Moji Karimi

Energy Transition Innovator

Moji is a carbon-negative entrepreneur and technology futurist. His mission is to create a sustainable future, where humans live in harmony with nature and have applied technology to balance the rate of climate change. He is obsessed with developing economical low-carbon solutions for a sustainable energy transition, from using CO2 as feedstock to biomining and subsurface production of hydrogen. Moji has a track record of bringing diverse multidisciplinary ideas such as these to market, with the fruit of this experience culminating in Cemvita Factory, a company that Moji started with his sister Tara. In his role as CEO, Moji serves a team of passionate scientists and engineers on a mission to deploy industrial biotech solutions to empower the energy transition and create a brighter future.