POTOMAC FALLS, Va., May 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The Ash Environmental DAO, through its Ash Token (https://ashtoken.io/) cryptocurrency ecosystem, is proud to announce the successful funding of its initial group of grant recipients—marking a major milestone in the DAO’s mission to support high-impact environmental innovation, job creation, and economic transformation through decentralized blockchain finance.

In this inaugural round of funding, the DAO has awarded:

$2 million to GCS Fibers LLC (www.gcsfibers.com/), a U.S.-based start-up manufacturing company that transforms toxic coal ash into high-performance, non-toxic mineral fiber under the PHEENX® brand.$20,000 to Eco-Green Solutions LLC (www.ecogreensolutions.io), a start-up company focused on greenhouse emissions capture solutions.$20,000 to MetaFiber LLC (www.metafiber.io), a start-up innovator in next-generation green material research and development.

“This marks the first demonstration of how the Ash Token ecosystem can be used as a powerful tool to fund real-world, environmentally beneficial innovation,” said Dan Perez (Communications Director for the Ash Env. DAO | Ash Token). “Through these grants, we are laying the foundation for a future where pollution is transformed into opportunity—delivering project financing, economic development, poverty reduction, and long-term sustainability.”

GCS Fibers: Restarting Operations with DAO-Backed Support

From the recipient side, the $2 million investment enables GCS Fibers LLC to resume operations at its flagship facility and begin commercial-scale production of its revolutionary mineral fiber product made from recycled coal ash. This process diverts toxic waste from the environment while creating high-performance, eco-safe materials for global industrial use.

“We are incredibly grateful for this support from the Ash Environmental DAO and the Ash Token community,” said David Quinn Director of Public Engagement for GCS Fibers. “This funding is not just capital—it’s a vote of confidence in the future we’re building. Thanks to this grant, we’re bringing our facility back online, creating jobs, and proving that sustainability and profitability can go hand-in-hand.”

A New Model for Climate Finance

This funding round exemplifies the DAO’s vision of a circular, inclusive economy where innovative solutions to environmental crises are empowered by decentralized capital. Each grant advances the DAO’s core objectives: reducing global pollution, enabling sustainable industry, creating dignified jobs, and delivering superior products and services through its network of sponsored companies.

With the success of this initial funding round, the Ash Environmental DAO invites new applicants, partners, and Ash Token holders to join in scaling this ecosystem and accelerating the global transition to an equitable, sustainable future.

About GCS Fibers:
GCS Fibers is an eco-friendly manufacturing company that repurposes coal ash into high-quality mineral fiber or pulp products.  GCS can convert millions of tons of toxic coal ash (fly ash, bottom ash, boiler slag, wet or dry) each year into 6 base mineral fibers yielding end-products such as paper, brake pads, textiles, building insulation, rubber and plastics, and carbon fiber precursors.  All the while creating jobs, cleaning up the harmful effects of coal ash, and helping the environment.  Learn more by visiting https://www.gcsfibers.com/

About ASH Token:

The ASH Token is a cryptocurrency ecosystem that provides grant funding for high impact and sustainable business innovations that seek to eliminate pollution from the global environment while driving the increased adoption of more efficient energy solutions. ASH is a governance token that empowers holders to collectively vote and decide how the funds raised through the token’s transactions fees are used to fund environmentally focused start-ups. Learn more by visiting https://ashtoken.io/

Media Contact:
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Email: pr@varcom.com
571-276-3109

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SOURCE GCS Fibers

NEW YORK, May 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Dr. Kathy Bloomgarden, CEO of Ruder Finn, was named ‘Global Professional – Agency’ at the PRWeek Global Awards last night. PRWeek recognized Bloomgarden for being “an incredibly accomplished leader with well-earned credibility” who knows how to “drive the agenda rather than follow it.” Bloomgarden was also recently honored with an Outstanding Individual Achievement award at PRovoke’s SABRE Awards, and celebrated as a 2025 Pinnacle Award Honoree at Medical Marketing + Media’s Pinnacle Awards.

Bloomgarden has been at the helm of Ruder Finn as CEO since 2014. Under her leadership, Ruder Finn has reached many new frontiers, including launching the agency’s China office, healthcare practice, and technology innovation hub rf.TechLab. Bloomgarden has driven industry-leading growth and global expansion, pioneering the adoption of disruptive technologies. She has been at the forefront of AI strategies, shaping AI-ready data infrastructures, addressing LLM hallucinations, and bridging east-west divides in AI development. Within the past year, Bloomgarden established the RF AI Advisory Council and spearheaded the agency’s newest LLM optimization offering rf.aio. She convenes high-level dialogues on tech disruption and is a trusted voice in global leadership circles, including the World Economic Forum and Fortune’s CEO Council. With her ability to anticipate trends and act decisively, Bloomgarden has made Ruder Finn a key partner for global clients navigating economic uncertainties, geopolitical tension, and technological disruption.

“For Dr Kathy Bloomgarden, Ruder Finn’s ‘What’s Next’ ethos – which means always remaining one step ahead of industry trends and leading with a data-driven, digital-first, early-adopter mindset – isn’t just a nice tagline, it’s an essential part of keeping the agency ahead of the game,” said PRWeek in their winners profile on Bloomgarden.

“It is an honor to receive this prestigious honor from PRWeek,” said Bloomgarden. “We are at a transformative juncture for our industry, where the role of communications is crucial in driving the adoption of groundbreaking technologies on a global scale across industries. I am profoundly optimistic about our collective ability to work together, and for communications change-makers to fast-track innovation and create significant change.”

This year’s PRWeek Global Awards were held in London on May 15th, 2025.

About Ruder Finn
Ruder Finn is one of the world’s largest independent global communications and integrated marketing agencies, leading the industry in AI strategy and implementation. Founded in 1948, Ruder Finn has defined and redefined PR for over 75 years, shaping communications that moves industry-defining brands, companies, and leaders from what’s now to what’s next. Ruder Finn provides clients with bold strategies based on a global perspective and localized market knowledge that redefine leadership, reimagine the marketplace, and rethink customer experiences. The agency is organized around five core areas of expertise—Healthcare, Technology, Consumer Brand, Leadership and Workplace—with innovative tech incubator RF TechLab providing cutting-edge predictive analytics, AI-powered creative hub RF Studio53 offering breakthrough creative, and specialized teams delivering customer-focused digital engagement. Ruder Finn has offices across four continents including the U.S., Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Wholly owned agencies and offerings within Ruder Finn Group include: Ruder Finn Inc., RF Studio53, RF Engage, Touchdown, Peppercomm, RF Comunicad, Mantis, jacobstahl, Flightpath, Ruder Finn Atteline, Pandan Social, RF Bloom, and Big Sky Communications. For more information visit www.ruderfinn.com.

Media Contact: Isabelle Lee, Isabelle.lee@ruderfinn.com

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SOURCE Ruder Finn

TAIPEI, May 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — YUAN, a leader in Industrial Video PCs, is redefining real-time video analytics and autonomous decision-making with its Pandora NX Super and AIR NX Super platforms. Built on the NVIDIA Jetson Orin platform, these advanced solutions bring groundbreaking innovations to maritime safety, agricultural optimization, and aerial inspections.

Smart Sea Patrol: Enhancing Maritime Safety

Powered by NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin, YUAN’s Smart Sea Patrol delivers real-time threat detection and 360-degree monitoring of maritime environments. Through Isaac ROS and DeepStream SDK integration, it processes multi-sensor data seamlessly, enabling rapid hazard identification, unauthorized vessel detection, and environmental threat analysis—ideal for coast guard operations and offshore monitoring.

Smart Farming: Revolutionizing Agricultural Efficiency

YUAN’s Smart Farming solutions leverage NVIDIA Isaac Sim for precise crop monitoring and resource optimization. Enhanced by Jetson Orin NX Super, it integrates GNSS, LiDAR, and Isaac ROS for real-time pathfinding and environmental analysis. Drone-based analytics enable rapid pest detection, water stress monitoring, and targeted spraying, maximizing yield while reducing waste.

Smart Drone: Pushing the Limits of Aerial Inspections

Built on Jetson Orin NX, YUAN’s Smart Drone delivers high-resolution, low-latency aerial inspections. Leveraging NVIDIA CUDA and TensorRT, it excels in infrastructure monitoring, emergency response, and agricultural surveys. With real-time AI processing and 5G support, it ensures instant anomaly detection and rapid decision-making.

Empowering AI Vision with NVIDIA Robotics Technology

Powered by the NVIDIA Isaac Platform, YUAN’s solutions enable real-time edge AI, multi-sensor fusion, and scalable deployment. The upcoming ARC AI Platform aims to redefine humanoid robotics with enhanced environmental interaction and human-like autonomy.

Join us at COMPUTEX 2025 — AI Technology Service Area, Booth I0810, Hall 1, Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center. Discover YUAN’s next-gen AI robotics for land, sea, and air.

Learn More: www.yuan.com.tw

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