Welcome to a special day of inter-silo bridging, the next chapter in the storied legacy of the Ecocreative Community. As we convene for our 44th annual Gathering, we stand on the shoulders of four decades of creativity, co-creativity, and eco-creativity. This year, we extend a heartfelt invitation to join a movement that transcends traditional boundaries, embracing a future where our human initiatives -- ranging from collective to cooperative to individual action -- positively help regenerate the health of our planetary ecosystem.

Envision a unique space where the rigor of climate science deeply exploring complex systems meets the distilled message crafting of climate communicators working diligently to break through fossil misinformation and mass media noise; envision a special time of the year when the strategic foresight and political savvy of climate policy advocates intertwines with the effectiveness amplification tools of information technologists mixing with the profound power-shifting innovations of renewable energy technologists. This year's theme, 'Empowering Effective Climate Care,' is a testament to the power of interdisciplinary collaboration. It's an arena where diverse perspectives ignite innovative solutions, expanding your professional network and enriching your LinkedIn connections beyond the confines of your specialized field.

As we kick off the day in our virtual venue, we venture into the foundational realms of cartographic excellence and geospatial innovation. We start with speakers and panelists sharing personal experiences they've had with the people and places where mapmaking breakthroughs have happened over the past century, ranging from USGS to NASA to Google to Open Source and World Wide Web communities. We also welcome participants bringing and sharing cartographics and geographics that rise to the level of climatographics and ecographics. Consider what you might bring for show and tell -- because each contribution, each shared insight, can become a stepping stone towards more deeply understanding and mastering the game board for actionable climate care. The more you get into the swing of co-creating, the more this gathering can become your gateway to a world of knowledge, offering fresh opportunities to learn from other disciplines, meet counterparts in other fields, broaden your horizons, and bring fresh empowerment back into your professional world.

In the heart of our Gathering, each participant's participation helps transform the event from a mere assembly to a vibrant symphony of ideas, inter-relationships, insights, and action. Forget the conventions of passive attendance; here, every participant weaves their unique melody into a rich tapestry of dialogue. Everyone is welcome to introduce themselves, and share verbal and visual gifts with the conclave. Everyone is welcome to "Eat Locally and Greet Globally" by joining in our experimental "Virtual Dinner Party". Although we have a 44 year traditional commitment to being free-of-charge and non-commercial, by popular demand we are incubating here a "Coop4Climate" where climate-committed professionals can economically-synergize and promote projects they are personally engaged in -- and if your LinkedIn profile demonstrates your active engagement in aspects of climate care, you are even welcome to "Pitch Your Profile" and gain more connections and followers. It's a space where the echo of every voice contributes to expanding the opportunity space for climate-healing success, embodying a spirit of humility and shared purpose.

From the comfort of our own physical home spaces, we are coming together atop a platform of shared video pixels and audio pulses riding on internet packets -- a way of coming together that is at least a million times more energy efficient (and at least a million times lower carbon footprint) than if we all gotten on airplanes and met in the flesh (yes, we've calculated it). And happy to say, our community members (and even our community itself) have played key roles in the birth of key ingredients (hypertext and open source; Dreamworks Animation and AppleComputer; and dozens more) that brought us clean smart technologies that enable us to more rapidly phase out and eliminate dirty fossil obsolete technologies. This year we explore the potential of Generative AI and cutting-edge neural network and digital twin technologies as allies in our quest for climate resilience. It's an exploration of how innovation can amplify our efforts to nurture the environment, offering a glimpse into a future where technology and nature coexist in harmony. This segment of the gathering underscores the transformative impact of technology on environmental stewardship, highlighting the creative and effective applications of smart clean lightweight technologies in fostering a sustainable planet.

The Gathering continues with freeform conversation among a magical mix of newfound and longtime friends, hardy souls undaunted by the marathon duration of the Gathering, still energized to keep on truckin' -- now being joined by fresh new folks coming in as sunlight races across Australia, Asia and Europe. So now you get to Eat Locally and Greet Globally with farflung folks eating breakfast in Europe, lunch in India, dinner in Singapore and Australia, and maybe even midnight munchies in the Americas. News is now coming in that multiple Climate Leaders will be waking up Sunday morning and joining into this continuation of our "Empowering Effective Climate Care" inter-silo inter-hemisphere Gathering. Even though the last 4 Gathering days were supposed to go for 12 hours, each went for over 13 and two went for over 15 hours, and we are now committed to keeping this one going 16 hours. But have no worries -- come for a couple hours any time during the flow of the day, dip your toe in the river, and maybe you'll want to dive in and swim with us ;) Be open to spontenaity and adventure -- it indeed can be magically energizing when diverse minds and imaginations and skills and passions converge in support of our one shared home in the universe.

Joining obligates you to nothing -- yet opens up possibilities for a habitable planet upon which everything else depends. So join in eco-creating a healthy future for all -- by co-creating a vibrant impromptu community of professional human beings committed to making a difference. It's also an opportunity to expand your own perspectives, learn from others, and build connections -- while at the same time weaving your unique contributions into a regenerative movement that has evolved gracefully over the years. Together, let's lead the way for a future where climate care is at the heart of our actions.