Sponsorship Opportunities
Zostera Marina SUPERHERO ($50,000) – only 1 available as a Presenting Partner – SOLD
You are the hero of this journey! As our top sponsor, you will enjoy a prominent profile at our workshop with six in-person and six on-line passes to the Sydney and Prague events, an area for a large booth at the Smith Center during the workshop and your logo on digital materials for all events.
Your contributions will also directly contribute to the development of the state-of-the-art digital twin visualization of our seagrass meadows, and as such, you will be featured in both the release of and within the virtual seascape for all to witness. Your support will also extend from the digital world into the real one, in which you will be recognized as steward of FIVE hectares of seagrass meadow in Casco Bay north of Mackworth Island, Portland, Maine. Your sponsorship includes logo recognition of your commitment within the digital twin visualization model.
Alongside the continual efforts by COBALT and Team Zostera to map, monitor, and restore these meadows, you will be given guidance on how best to be a transformative steward, and how that designation will bring value to your operations. For example, at this level you will be able to tell the story of how your adopted seagrass meadow produces 500,000 liters of oxygen per day, 400,000 fish and 500 million invertebrates, storing the equivalent carbon emissions of 5 small cars, absorbing the equivalent to the treated effluent from 1000 people per year, and supporting our commercial and recreational fish species such as lobsters, striped bass, mussels and clams. You will choose your preferred location to adopt within a stunning seagrass meadow of roughly 27 hectares.
Other Benefits?
Other benefits include:
- Team Zostera stewardship designation that can be placed on websites, products, or the doors of your business or organization that distinguishes you as a steward of the bioregion. This level includes support for how you can apply this investment to advance efforts you are making to promote support social justice, reduce carbon and become a better bioregional steward.
- Within one month after the workshop, you will receive a one-on-one consultation with experts from COBALT on appropriate stewardship actions that fit within the context of your organization. Your stewardship will act in concert with the ongoing efforts of COBALT/Team Zostera to better see, map and restore seagrass meadows in Casco Bay.
- Named recognition in the COBALT Bioregional Workshop announcement, implementation, and materials, and a meeting with 2023 COBALT Fellows at a special reception.
- Business or organization logo and credit of sponsorship on COBALT’s webpage, social media, and other marketing for the workshop. Your logo will appear on all banners, signage, menus, and other physical materials.
- Emcee acknowledgment and speaking/video presentation opportunity at the opening and closing events at the reception. Reception will be on July 17 at the Smith Center at the Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment and feature a signature bioregional meal prepared by renowned Chef Barton Seaver.
- Documentation as a “pioneer” in the COBALT Bioregional Digital Twin visualization and choice of preferred “avatar” for vessels that will be used to “dive in” to your seagrass meadow.
Sea Eagle ($30,000) – 3 available as Stewardship Leaders
Soaring above the ocean, you are the graceful overseer of our home. As a top sponsor, you will enjoy a prominent profile at our workshop with your logo on digital materials for all events. You will also be recognized as steward of THREE hectares of seagrass meadows north of Mackworth Island, Portland, Maine.
Your sponsorship includes logo recognition of your commitment within the digital twin visualization model. You will be given guidance on how to be a seagrass steward, and how that designation will bring value to your operations including how to tell the story of your adopted seagrass meadow generating 300,000 liters of oxygen per day, supporting 240,000 fish and 300 million invertebrates, storing the equivalent carbon emissions of three small cars, absorbing the equivalent of the treated effluent from 600 people per year, and supporting our commercial and recreational fish species such as lobsters, striped bass, mussels and clams.
Other Benefits?
Other benefits include:
- Team Zostera Stewardship Designation that can be placed on websites, products, or the doors of your business or organization that distinguishes you as a steward of the bioregion. This level includes support for how you can apply this investment to advance efforts to promote social justice, reduce carbon and become a better bioregional steward.
- Within one month after the workshop, you will receive a one-on-one consultation with experts from Team Zostera on appropriate stewardship actions that fit within the context of your business or organization. Your stewardship will act in concert with the ongoing efforts of COBALT/Team Zostera to better see, map and restore seagrass meadows in Casco Bay.
- Named recognition in the COBALT Bioregional Workshop announcement, implementation, and materials, along with a meeting with COBALT Fellows from the 2023 cohort at a special reception.
- Business or organization logo and credit of sponsorship on COBALT’s webpage, social media, and other marketing for the workshop. Your logo will appear on all banners, signage, menus, and other physical materials.
- Emcee acknowledgment and speaking opportunity at the opening event at the reception on July 17 at the Smith Center at the Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment. The reception will be followed by a signature bioregional meal prepared by renowned Chef Barton Seaver.
- Choice of preferred location of two acres of seagrass meadow in Casco Bay to steward that will begin when you confirm sponsorship and last until July 2024 with first right to renew.
- Choice of “avatar” for vessel that will be used to “dive” into the digital seagrass meadow off the north end of Mackworth Island and be visible to other users.
Minke Whale ($20,000) – 5 available as Stewardship Partners
Swimming through the glistening waters, you are elegantly leading the charge of the protection of Casco Bay. As an esteemed sponsor, you will enjoy a strong profile at our workshop and your logo on digital materials for all events. You will also be recognized as steward of TWO hectares of seagrass meadows north of Mackworth Island, Portland, Maine.
Your sponsorship includes logo recognition of your commitment within the digital twin visualization model. Alongside the continual efforts by COBALT and Team Zostera to map, monitor, and restore these meadows, you will be given guidance on how to be a seagrass steward, and how that designation will bring value to your operations. You can boast how your meadow is contributing to production of 200,000 liters of oxygen per day, 160,000 fish and 200 million invertebrates, storing the equivalent carbon emissions of a small car, absorbing equivalent to the treated effluent from 400 people per year, and supporting our commercial and recreational fish species such as lobsters, striped bass, mussels, and clams.
Other Benefits?
Other benefits include:
- Team Zostera Stewardship Designation that can be placed on websites, products, or the doors of your business or organization that distinguishes you as a steward of the bioregion. This level includes support for how you can apply this investment to advance efforts to promote social justice, reduce carbon and become a better bioregional steward.
- Within two months after the workshop, you will receive a one-on-one consultation with experts from Team Zostera on appropriate stewardship actions that fit within the context of your business or organization. Your stewardship will act in concert with the ongoing efforts of COBALT/Team Zostera to better see, map and restore seagrass meadows in Casco Bay.
- Named recognition in the COBALT Bioregional Workshop announcement, implementation, and materials, along with a meeting with COBALT Fellows from the 2023 cohort at a special reception.
- Business or organization logo and credit of sponsorship on COBALT’s webpage, social media, and other marketing for the workshop. Your logo will appear on all banners, signage, menus, and other physical materials.
- Emcee acknowledgment and speaking opportunity at the opening event at the reception on July 17 at the Smith Center at the Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment. The reception will be followed by a signature bioregional meal prepared by renowned Chef Barton Seaver.
- Choice of preferred location of two acres of seagrass meadow in Casco Bay to steward that will begin when you confirm sponsorship and last until July 2024 with first right to renew.
- Choice of “avatar” for vessel that will be used to “dive” into the digital seagrass meadow off the north end of Mackworth Island and be visible to other users.
Belted Kingfisher ($5,000) – 20 Supporting Sponsors
You are an iconic species in our bay, and your unique charm plays an important role in protecting the region. You are a proud hunter and welcome friend of Casco Bay while you maintain the balance of the bioregion. As a valued sponsor, you will enjoy a collective profile at our workshop with others at this level. You will also be recognized as steward of ONE-HALF hectare of seagrass meadow at the southern end of Mackworth Island, Portland, Maine.
Your sponsorship includes logo recognition of your commitment within the digital twin visualization model. You can describe how your investment is contributing to the per hectare contributions of as much as 100,000 liters of oxygen per day, home for 80,000 fish and 100 million invertebrates, storage of the equivalent carbon emissions of a small car, absorbing equivalent to the treated effluent from 200 people per year, and support of our commercial and recreational fish species such as lobsters, striped bass, mussels and clams.
Other Benefits?
Other benefits include:
- Team Zostera Stewardship Designation that can be placed on websites, products, or the doors of your business or organization that distinguishes you as a steward of the bioregion.
- Within six months after the workshop, all sponsors within this level will be invited to a group consultation with experts from COBALT/Team Zostera on appropriate stewardship actions that the entire group can engage in as collective action and fit within the context of your business or organization.
- All sponsors at this level will receive collective named recognition in the COBALT Bioregional Workshop announcement.
- Contribution to the collective stewardship of 25 hectares of vibrant seagrass at Mackworth Island in Casco Bay as a steward that will begin when you confirm sponsorship and will last until July 2024.
- Assignment of an “avatar” for a vessel that will be used for all sponsors at this level to “dive” into the digital seagrass meadow on the southern side of Mackworth Island.
Other Sponsorship Opportunities Less than $5k
There are a range of other conference sponsorship will be allocated to specific dimensions of the event that includes support of travel and registration for those in financial need including multiple packages starting at $2,400, as well as support of signature events and support of specific logistics for the event.
Sponsor Signature “Taste of the Bioregion” Welcome Feast
There is one sponsorship available at $4,000 that supports a novel Taste of the Casco Bay Bioregion on July 17th, 2023. This will be an unforgettable feast allowing all conference attendees to experience a menu inspired by Chef Barton Seaver and Big Tree Catering led by James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Taylor. Sponsors at this level will be recognized at the event by Chef Barton Seaver, be featured on printed menus with an opportunity to say a few words at the start of the meal with Chef Seaver.
Sponsor Traditional Ecological Wisdom Event July 17th
There is one sponsorship available at $3,500 that supports all conference participants to attend a special session on how to integrate traditional ecological knowledge and wisdom as part of bioregional stewardship. This session will feature a deeper understanding of cosmologies, epistemologies, and the importance of integrating indigenous wisdom with western perspectives. This will be an unforgettable evening led by Dwayne Tomah, Language Keeper for the Passamaquoddy People. Sponsors at this level will be recognized at the event and be featured on printed materials.
Sponsor Daily Bioregional Lunches by Big Tree Catering
There are two sponsorships available at $3,000 each that sponsors either lunch on Monday July 17th or Tuesday July 18th prepared by Big Tree Catering led by James Beard Award-winning chef Andrew Taylor. The menu for lunch will feature creative, locally-sourced sandwiches, soups and salads served in a spirit of family and fun at the brand new Smith Center. Sponsors at this level will be recognized at the event and be featured on printed menus and promotional material.
In partnership with the Collaborative for Bioregional Action-Learning and Transformation (COBALT) and the Buckminster Fuller Institute (BFI), we are honored to offer leadership opportunities to sponsor the Transformations 23 Conference to be held in Sydney, Australia; Prague, Czech Republic; and Portland Maine USA. The Transformations Conference is the international assembly of social/ecological, economic, and bioregional thought leaders and practitioners. This is a unique opportunity to:
- Connect with the Transformations Community by building transformative relationships with the world’s leading action researchers working at the cutting-edge of sustainability transformations.
- Showcase your work and be recognized as a key-supporter of more equitable and just transformations.
- Increase capacity for innovation and transformation, accelerating transformative action research towards thriving futures for all.
- Contribute to the first international workshop on seeing, connecting, and amplifying transformations at a bioregional scale.
While each sponsorship will have global reach, your support will be magnified at the conference’s North American Hub as partners from around the world focus on the Casco Bay Bioregion for a novel Workshop on Bioregional Stewardship. The Portland-based event will be held from July 17-19 at the stunning new Smith Center at the Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment two days after the events in Sydney and Prague have concluded. The workshop offers partners a unique opportunity to communicate their mission with a diverse range of leaders, influencers, decisionmakers, practitioners, and researchers to creatively develop new pathways for a more just, equitable and regenerative future.
As a sponsor, you will support a three-day innovation hub that puts the Casco Bay Bioregion on the global map as world leaders in this field of seeing, connecting and amplifying transformation systems. The North American Hub is focused on place-based regeneration and governance across food systems (terrestrial and aquatic), energy, fiber, waste, and water. The sponsorship will also support the critical role of traditional ecological knowledge and wisdom as central to navigating our path into the future. We invite you to help sponsor this event and be the first to steward the most critically important ecosystem of the Casco Bay Bioregion: seagrass meadows.
Each sponsorship level features stewarding a quantity (in hectares) of healthy seagrass meadow in one of two meadows in Portland, Maine. According to the UK-based Project Seagrass, one hectare of seagrass can produce 100,000 liters of oxygen per day, 80,000 fish and 100 million invertebrates, store the equivalent carbon emissions of a small car, absorb nutrients per year equivalent to the treated effluent from 200 people, and supports our commercial and recreation fish such as lobsters, striped bass, mussels, and clams.
Sponsorship opportunities come in various levels, from $5,000 to $30,000 tailored to your needs/goals/ambition. As a sponsor, you will not only bring this workshop to life, but your contributions will directly support the ongoing stewardship of these endangered ecosystems which are the superheroes of our coast. You will be invited to “jump in” and experience these stunningly beautiful underwater habitats that provide benefits for fisheries, water health, nutrient cycling, and marine biodiversity. In addition to the myriad of critical ecological benefits, including the improvement of water quality, stabilizing our coastlines from climate change, promoting ecological diversity, and soaking up enormous levels of carbon dioxide – even more than terrestrial forests – they are the indicators of bioregional health. When the seagrass meadows are deteriorating, it signals that the entire aquatic bioregion is collapsing, and needs to be nurtured back to health… fast!
With the future of our coasts at stake including livelihoods, seafood markets, recreational activities, YOUR SPONSORSHIP includes direct stewardship of an area of seagrass in Casco Bay that is being called a “nature-based solution” to a rapidly changing world. Your contributions will enable Team Zostera (Seagrass Stewards of Casco Bay) to meaningfully map, monitor and restore seagrass meadows in Casco Bay. To share your commitment to stewardship, we will create a “digital twin visualization” that allows you (and your wider community) to “dive-in” to your adopted seagrass meadow, post your company logo on the digital twin visualization (on an avatar such as a sea kayak, skiff, or sailboat), and become a better systems storyteller.
In this learning collaboration, we will broaden our understanding of the interconnectedness and critical role of stewardship action individually and collectively. This work embodies the model outlined in The Age of Resilience by Jeremy Rifkin, a world-renowned economist, and global governmental advisor, who emphasized the urgency for this approach of “governance transitions from sovereignty over natural resources to stewardship of ecosystems.”
This sponsorship lasts for 12 months from the workshop event to July 2024 and will benefit your business in a variety of ways. By becoming a sponsor, you will receive the tools to explain how this sponsorship significantly helps your organization tell your own story. For example, we will provide systems storytelling tools to support your community profile, B Corp Certification status, role in ESG (environment, society and governance dimensions within the finance sector), contributions to UN Sustainability Goals, and other related commitments to stewardship of local ecosystems and to meeting high standards of performance, accountability, and transparency on factors from employee benefits and charitable giving to supply chain practices and input materials.
Join us in this exciting opportunity to discover why seagrass meadows are an essential component of the entire Casco Bay Bioregion. Through our transformative workshop event, we can help shape the future of our planet together!
Purchasing TICKETS – Coming Soon!
Why Now?
As we emerge from a global pandemic, local communities are experiencing the effects of floods, droughts, wildfires, and hurricanes as well as the loss of biodiversity, explosion of other viruses, signs of a warming planet, acidifying oceans, and more. These issues are transforming our economies, are an endless source of trauma, and undermine the well-being of all life on Earth. Amid the warning signs of collapse all around us, we need a better way to navigate, which begins with seeing, connecting and amplifying transformative change. This includes how decisions are made and the call to action for all people to take on the role as stewards of our home. COBAL/Zedaxis Group is responding to this moral imperative to blend our social/ecological expertise with digital technology to work with communities around the world to co-create a navigation system for stewarding life.
Even a child knows how valuable the forest is. The fresh, breathtaking smell of trees. Echoing birds flying above that dense magnitude. A stable climate, a sustainable diverse life and a source of culture. Yet, forests and other ecosystems hang in the balance, threatened to become croplands, pasture, and plantations.
- There is an urgent need to reverse the collapse with pathways that are relatively easy, fun and offer a source of joy and awe in addressing the complex and unpredictable systems we live within with many interdependent parts.
- It is very hard to understand the complex systems we live within, and governance of these systems is fragmented by political boundaries.
- And finally, most people are not acting, because they are disengaged from the places where they live, instead living a virtual existence in digital spaces.
- We must define the systems in the most intuitively understandable and natural definition – the Bioregion – an area sharing common systems such as water, food, and culture.
- We must find a way to understand our role in this system so that we can know what to change, how to act. This can no longer be the preserve of specialists. Big data and AI can collect information and create synthesis, but we must learn to use it and connect the dots with the highest ethical standards.
- We must reconnect people with their sense of place and the need to steward it.
What is a Bioregional Digital Twin?
The COBALT/Zedaxis partnership is a unique team that blends expertise in social technology, digital technology, and the critical importance of ecosystem governance for our survival. The team is capable of drawing together the knowledge and wisdom of a place into a single interface which can engage the widest range of stakeholders, give them deep understanding and inspire them to act – to perform direct stewardship action in the real world, to sponsor stewardship by others and to beneficially change policy. Our solution is the Bioregional Digital Twin. It is a vast, rich, living 3D model of the bioregion that people can explore and interact with, and which drives real world action through play mechanics.
It has several parts.
- A sovereign and decentralized data collection about the place, scientific, cultural, economic, and geophysical.
- A transformation of big data into knowledge through crowdsourcing and partnerships with leading academic, technology, AI and Earth observation organisations.
- A unified interface to visualize, explore and understand the knowledge in a 3D immersive digital application.
- The user interface of the COBALT Bioregional Digital twin will be of cinematic ‘Triple-A’ videogame quality, providing engaging visuals.
- It will be a vast and rich living 3D map where every piece of knowledge about the place and its entities is holistically embodied or accessible to the explorer.
- It will feature deeply engaging play mechanics for things like crowdsourcing data and sponsoring stewardship.
- It will be accessible via a browser to democratize the experience and reach the maximum audience without any special computer hardware.