It is my great delight to welcome you all to Synergia Ranch and to the Institute of Ecotechnics’ annual conference.

Last year we considered the Noosphere, a sphere of intelligence emerging as humanity seeks to find a harmony between the biosphere and the world of human technics and invention. This year we turn our attention to the most dynamic, unstable, destructive and creative force in our world – the technosphere. Analogous in scale and planetary significance to the atmosphere, lithosphere or biosphere, a truly global technosphere is still in the process of evolving around the planet. It is believed that humans first migrated from our African genesis into Europe in the teeth of Ice Ages, empowered by our technological ability to domesticate fire, create shelter, clothing and hunting weapons. Technology, therefore, may be one of our species’ most characteristic and defining traits.