Author: sHq_LoGiNz
Sustainability and Investing: An Incompatible Combination?
More factories but less pollution: how China’s green tech revolution works
Africa Climate Summit Puts Financing and Resilience Under the Spotlight
The trouble with ‘carbon neutral’ — and what comes next
Old Tappan Dunkin’ to Celebrate Grand Opening with Free Coffee & Brand Giveaways while Giving Back to Local Food Pantry
OLD TAPPAN, N.J., Sept. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Dunkin’ is thrilled to announce the grand opening of its brand-new location in Old Tappan on September 15th at 10 AM! Join us for a momentous celebration that’s not just about coffee, but also about community spirit! The first 50 customers in line who bring a canned food donation for the Old Tappan Food Pantry will receive a FREE coffee, delicious donut, exciting radio station giveaways, and an awesome swag bag!
Mark your calendars, gather those canned goods, and be part of something special! The grand opening will take place at 200 Old Tappan Rd., and we can’t wait to see you there!
Mayor Gallagher expressed his enthusiasm about this new addition to the community, stating, “Old Tappan is very happy that Dunkin’ Donuts has chosen to come to Old Tappan. Whether traveling on business or pleasure, Dunkin’ Donuts is always a welcome sight to recharge. Old Tappan runs on Dunkin!”
The Old Tappan Food Pantry https://www.oldtappan.net/boards/assistance plays a vital role in our community, with Old Tappan Social Services striving to ensure that senior and disabled residents, as well as those facing difficult times, receive the support they need to preserve their well-being and dignity. With the help of residents, town organizations, and schools, Social Services provides a well-stocked Food Pantry, including fresh produce, and special programs such as the Adopt-a-Family Holiday Program, Holiday Gift Program, Make-a-Senior-Smile Program, Spring/Fall Yard Cleanup, Snow Removal, and Emergency Financial Assistance.
The celebration will kick off at 10 AM and run until noon, featuring the radio station 105.5 FM WDHA of Beasley Media Group, which will be there remotely playing music and providing customers with free station giveaways. Local franchisee Bill Mulholland has invited local officials and first responders for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“We are so excited to bring the convenience and great coffee of Dunkin’ to Old Tappan,” said Bill Mulholland, Old Tappan Dunkin’ franchisee. “For years, frequenting Dunkin’ has been a part of our daily routine, and we look forward to bringing that sense of community and tradition to the Old Tappan area for years to come!”
Don’t miss out on this exciting event! Bring your canned goods, enjoy delicious Dunkin’ treats, and celebrate with us as we embark on this new journey together.
See you on September 15th at 10 AM! Old Tappan runs on Dunkin’!
Dunkin‘, founded in 1950, is the largest coffee and donuts brand in the United States, with more than 14,000 restaurants in nearly 40 global markets. Dunkin’ is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants. For more information, visit InspireBrands.com.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/old-tappan-dunkin-to-celebrate-grand-opening-with-free-coffee–brand-giveaways-while-giving-back-to-local-food-pantry-302549961.html
SOURCE Old Tappan Dunkin’
florrent Raises $9.5 Million in Seed-2 Funding to Provide Firm Power at Every Level of the Grid
florrent’s material breakthrough enables supercapacitor solutions to unlock more performance from today’s grid, while preparing for the demands of tomorrow
NORTHAMPTON, Mass., Sept. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — florrent, Inc., an energy technology company helping to solve the $150B/year power quality problem by providing economical power quality and reliability (PQ&R) solutions for a stable and decarbonized grid, today announced the successful closure of an oversubscribed $9.5M Seed-2 funding round. The round was led by MassVentures, with significant participation from Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, MassMutual Catalyst Fund, Boston Impact Initiative, Sky Foundation, Elbezius, Maroon Venture Partners Fund, and a group of mission-aligned angel investors.
florrent supercapacitors unlock more performance from today’s grid, while preparing for the demands of tomorrow
This funding will accelerate florrent’s production scale-up of Contoured Carbon™, their next-generation activated carbon material, which, when applied into supercapacitors, enables high-power solutions with lower total cost, smaller footprint, and a reduced carbon footprint when compared with existing technologies. As the electrical grid undergoes its most significant transformation in over a century, florrent’s technology provides a crucial solution to the stability challenges posed by today’s dynamic loads and aging infrastructure.
“The need for grid stability is accelerating to an unprecedented scale, driven by the rapid growth of dynamic loads and the wide distribution of energy resources,” said Jose LaSalle, CEO of florrent. “florrent’s supercapacitor solution is a critical addition to the toolbox that enables better use of existing infrastructure to meet these evolving needs. A defining hallmark of this energy transition will be unlocking new economic opportunities that are shared widely—especially among communities historically marginalized or most impacted by environmental degradation. At florrent, we’re driven to join other companies demonstrating that it is possible to build a profitable business founded on innovative technology that wins on unit economics while contributing to the well-being of people and the planet.”
The foundation of florrent’s technology is a material innovation that diverts domestic biomass waste from landfills, sequestering carbon as high-value, active power media that provide critical stability for an increasingly unstable grid. Importantly, this sourcing strategy also creates opportunities to partner with—and drive meaningful economic participation for—historically underserved communities within florrent’s value chain.
“Having led florrent’s Seed-1 funding round, we’re excited to lead again and continue our strong partnership with this exceptional team,” said Charlie Hipwood, CEO and President of MassVentures. “florrent continues to deliver impressive results while advancing their ambitious social and environmental impact mission. We’re proud to support their continued growth and help them scale solutions that create meaningful change.”
“We’re thrilled to continue to partner with Jose, Alex, Joe and the entire florrent team,” said Althea Wishloff, General Partner at Raven Indigenous Capital Partners. “As a big supporter of Indigenous- and Native-led entrepreneurs and businesses, Raven sees florrent as a means to drive positive environmental change while benefiting Tribal Nations and Peoples in raw material procurement and grid stabilization.”
florrent’s supercapacitors are made in the US and designed to integrate seamlessly into existing infrastructure, providing both front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter resilience. They enable grid-forming capabilities, fast frequency response, and improved power quality, making them an indispensable tool for modern grid management.
florrent will use this $9.5M in new funding to hire key roles, including engineers and technicians to support their scaling manufacturing processes, scientists to expand their product development capabilities, operations specialists to drive efficiencies as they grow, and a business development leader to accelerate this next phase of commercialization. The company will be building out a new pilot manufacturing facility in Northampton, MA, which is scheduled to begin operations in 2026.
For more information about florrent and their groundbreaking work, please visit www.florrent.com or contact outreach@florrent.com.
About florrent
florrent is an energy technology company helping to solve the $150B per year power quality problem by providing economical power quality and reliability (PQ&R) solutions for a stable and decarbonized grid. florrent’s proprietary bio-derived activated carbon enables its supercapacitor solutions to lead the industry and enable widespread decarbonization and electrification.
About MassVentures
MassVentures is a leading venture capital firm focused on investing in early-stage, high-growth companies in Massachusetts. With a commitment to fostering innovation and economic development, MassVentures supports entrepreneurs who are transforming industries and creating lasting impact.
Learn more at:
https://www.mass-ventures.com/
About Raven Indigenous Capital Partners:
Raven is an impact-focussed venture capital fund investing in early-stage businesses led by Indigenous and Native Peoples. With $150M in assets under management and four offices across the United States and Canada, Raven’s mission is to improve the wellbeing of Indigenous entrepreneurs.
To learn more and apply for venture funding, visit Raven’s website: https://ravencapitalpartners.com/ or reach out to: Althea Wishloff, General Partner, info@ravencapitalpartners.com
Media Contact:
Joe Hastry
Co-Founder, Director of Finance & Operations
jhastry@florrent.com
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/florrent-raises-9-5-million-in-seed-2-funding-to-provide-firm-power-at-every-level-of-the-grid-302549885.html
SOURCE florrent
Neighbors Helping Neighbors Event Benefits Seniors in Detroit
Key Points
- Valerie Norrell’s mother, who has multiple sclerosis, received help from Marathon Petroleum volunteers to clean up her yard, which had been neglected due to health issues in the family.
- The Neighbors Helping Neighbors event, organized by Marathon Petroleum’s Detroit refinery, involved 50 volunteers assisting seniors with yardwork, tree trimming and small repairs.
- The volunteers’ efforts transformed Norrell’s mother’s yard, and their dedication was greatly appreciated by the community.
Valerie Norrell said her mom becomes emotional every time she thinks about the volunteers from Marathon Petroleum who came to help clean up her yard during its annual day of service. Norrell said that her mother, who is 84 and has had multiple sclerosis since 1973, has lived in the same Colonial-style home near Marathon Petroleum’s Detroit refinery since Norrell was a child. Norrell and her husband used to take care of the yard until he started experiencing health issues last year.
“We physically couldn’t do it anymore,” said Norrell. “It was heartbreaking because my mom loves to look out the window to see her yard, and it was not being maintained. After a storm hit Michigan, it was even worse.”
For the sixth consecutive year, volunteers from the Detroit refinery hosted its Neighbors Helping Neighbors community service event. Employees volunteered their time to assist seniors living in the Boyton neighborhood near the refinery with yardwork, tree trimming and small repairs.
“This event allows us to get to know our neighbors and spend time helping them with yard projects they aren’t able to do on their own,” said Whitney Walton, Senior Security Specialist at the refinery and organizer of the Neighbors Helping Neighbors event.
Fifty employees, contractors, and co-ops from the Detroit refinery volunteered at 20 homes that were selected for assistance.
“They just went above and beyond to help in our community,” said Norrell. “They worked for hours, and now my mom’s huge yard looks like a park. I just really appreciate it.”
The Neighbors Helping Neighbors event takes place each summer to help get yards overgrown with grass, brush and fallen trees in shape for residents to be able to maintain it themselves.
INTRODUCING THIRD-GENERATION SOLAR: 1st Avenue Power Unveils the First Fully Integrated Clean Power System of the AI Era
Twice the energy. More reliable than the grid. Gigawatt-scale capacity in under a year.
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — In a defining moment for energy infrastructure, 1st Avenue Power (1AP) unveils a radical new clean power solution: a modular, rapidly deployable, fully integrated system engineered to meet the explosive energy demands of the AI era. As the grid buckles under the weight of modern computing, 1st Avenue Power introduces what the market has never seen: dispatchable, firm, cyber-secure, clean energy systems that can go live in months—not years—and scale to gigawatt capacity.
Hyperfirm™ Power: Dispatchable. Dense. Unmatched.
1st Avenue Power’s proprietary Hyperfirm™ system architecture combines solar generation, advanced storage, and AI-optimized controls into a single, integrated platform—delivering clean energy with greater reliability than the grid and unprecedented control. Through breakthroughs in solar deployment density and proprietary energy storage and power systems, Hyperfirm™ systems produce up to twice the usable energy per acre of traditional solar. This makes it the fastest, most cost-effective clean power solution on the market today.
Power systems pioneer Dr. Tom Buttgenbach launched 1st Avenue Power to do what no one else has: deliver dispatchable, firm, low-cost, cyber-secure power systems that can be deployed at speed. “Unlike any other generation technology, our industry is made up of specialized component manufacturers that are assembled on-site by construction companies,” said Buttgenbach, founder of 1st Avenue Capital and former CEO of Avantus and 8minute Solar. “We’re designing and building fully integrated systems. That’s how we get the system performance that the next generation of power infrastructure demands.”
Buttgenbach brings an unmatched track record through his leadership of 8minute Energy and Avantus: 30 GW of solar and 90 GWh of storage developed—enough to power 20 million U.S. homes day and night—over $10 billion in financing and power purchase agreements secured, and the first U.S. solar project to undercut fossil fuels on price. He led the development of the first gigawatt scale powerplant for a U.S.-based hyperscaler that commenced operation in June 2025.
See: www.1ap.com.
1st Avenue Power Fact Sheet
Founding Leadership Team
- Dr. Tom Buttgenbach, CEO – 30 GW solar + 90 GWh storage delivered; $10B+ in financing; built first U.S. solar project to beat fossil fuel costs; Ph.D. in Physics (Caltech).
- Kip Larson, CTO – Former CTO at Avantus and executive technology leader at AWS and Amazon with deep experience in AI and industrial controls..
- Drew Lowe, VP Operations – Former Apple, SiriusXM, and Disney operations executive with experience in multi-gigawatt data infrastructure.
- Dr. Finbar Sheehy, VP Technology – Former head of Technology at Avantus and industry expert, former AB Bernstein equities analyst.
- Greg McPheeters, VP Product Development – Product designer formerly with REC Solar and SnapNrack with experience in design and installation of complete turnkey solar electric systems.
- Alex Turek, VP Software Engineering – Software engineering leader at Avantus, Amazon, and Convoy; with deep experience in energy markets and software.
- Executive Advisors: Joe Inzerillo, Blair LaCorte, Jordan Greene.
Technology Innovations
- Hyperfirm™ Systems – Always-on, firm and dispatchable clean energy by integrating solar, advanced storage, and AI optimization.
- Gemini™ Architecture – Modular, high-density solar+storage power plants engineered for up to 2x firm energy output per acre, with full dispatchability.
- NatureMount™: Rapidly-deployable, terrain-following, solar array technology that enables double-density solar.
- Blackbird™ Power Systems – Solid-state, turnkey, modular systems designed for 100x higher reliability than conventional grid/thermal generation.
- AI-Driven Optimization – End-to-end predictive analytics for system efficiency, cost savings, and revenue optimization.
- Rapid Deployment – Gigawatt-scale projects rolled out in months, not years — more than 3x faster than conventional builds.
Company Overview
- Founded by: Dr. Tom Buttgenbach, power systems pioneer and founder and former CEO of Avantus/8minute Solar.
- Mission: We deliver rapidly deployable power systems that generate Hyperfirm™ and inexpensive clean power leveraging the abundance of solar to liberate energy-constrained businesses and communities around the world.
- Approach: Proprietary solar + storage architectures enhanced by AI-optimized software for reliable, dispatchable, low-cost, modular power.
Learn more: www.1ap.com
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/introducing-third-generation-solar-1st-avenue-power-unveils-the-first-fully-integrated-clean-power-system-of-the-ai-era-302549833.html
SOURCE 1st Avenue Power
When Disaster Hits, So Do Scams — Stay Alert and Stay Protected
Natural disasters like wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes and winter storms can bring visible danger and destruction – but don’t overlook the hidden threats that can follow these devastating events. Bad actors often take advantage of people’s tragedy, vulnerability and empathy, exploiting the chaos during and after disasters to target both those in need and those eager to help.
Scammers and fraudsters have a wide variety of tactics in their arsenal, like making deceptive calls, creating fake websites and sending malicious texts, emails and social media posts. Some will even go door-to-door impersonating government officials or disaster relief workers in an attempt to steal money meant for rebuilding lives, homes and communities.
Whether you live in a disaster-prone area or not, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the types of scams and fraudulent activity that can occur. Here are the main ones to know:
- Contractor Fraud: Dishonest contractors demanding payment for repairs they never finish, inflating costs or delivering unsafe, poor-quality work.
- Insurance Scams: Scammers impersonating insurance agents or adjusters, offering fake policies, charging inflated premiums or collecting personal information to commit identity theft.
- Fake Offers of Aid: Criminals posing as government or relief agencies to trick people into sharing personal and financial information or paying fraudulent “application fees” — agencies like FEMA don’t charge to apply.
- Donation and Charity Scams: Bad actors posing as legitimate charities or relief organizations to steal money or personal information instead of helping disaster victims.
Awareness of these scams is key, but there are also simple steps you can take to protect yourself and avoid becoming a target:
- Be careful with unsolicited messages: If you receive unexpected calls, texts or emails asking for money or personal information, do not respond or click on links. Instead, hang up, delete the message and contact the organization directly through an official website or phone number.
- Approach door-to-door visits with caution: Always ask for official identification and verify credentials before allowing anyone inside your home. Legitimate FEMA inspectors and government workers will never demand cash, request sensitive financial information or pressure you into immediate payments.
- Monitor accounts and freeze credit: Regularly check your bank accounts and statements for unauthorized transactions and activity and freeze your credit reports with all three credit bureaus to protect against identity theft.
- Verify charities first: Research charities through trusted sources like Charity Navigator and donate directly to known organizations through their website.
- Stay informed: Watch and read credible news sourcesto stay up-to-date about the latest scams and official disaster relief efforts.
- Report scams and fraud: If you encounter suspicious activity — disaster-related or otherwise — file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and notify the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF).
In addition to taking these general precautions, look into tools your wireless provider offers to help block scammers and fraudsters. For example, T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile customers have Scam Shield, a benefit included in customers’ plans that automatically identifies possible scam calls at the network level and labels them as “Scam Likely” on your phone. Scam Block can be turned on to automatically block those calls by dialing #662# or through T-Mobile’s T-Life app. You can also forward suspicious text messages to 7726.
Scammers count on chaos and confusion to succeed, but with awareness and proactive steps, you can protect yourself, your loved ones and your community from becoming their next target. For more information on how to protect yourself, visit T-Mobile’s Privacy Center and the National Center for Disaster Fraud. And for more information on disaster preparedness, check out T-Mobile’s Emergency Response Hub.
