THINK BIG

World leaders, businessmen and innovators tackle the big issues
facing planet Earth at the Tallberg Forum

The Tallberg Forum is an innovative global meeting, a mini-Davos, in the magnificent hills and pristine lakes of the town of Tallberg in north central Sweden. In such close proximity to the Arctic Circle, it stays light for 24 hours a day, and so inspires an idealism that is essential if one is to take seriously the theme of how we as a people can live together on this planet.

Whether or not we agree with the causes behind climate change, we cannot run away from the results. The world's temperature is rising. Glacial ice melts faster and the North Pole is no longer stable enough to walk on. Fifty percent of the United States now lies in permanent drought and eco-extinction rates reach new levels of calamity just on an agricultural level alone.

These are challenges many of us would rather not face, but we cannot continue to live in denial. Apathy is the true enemy of democracy. And time is running out. How do we, as citizens, as leaders, as business people, come together and make positive change?

The Tallberg concept has evolved over its 25 year history. It rests firmly on humanistic principles and systems thinking. It brings together a highly diverse set of people, in terms of geography, age, gender and nationality to address the difficult questions and global themes, to start the dialogue, investigate the systems and try to find solutions.

An opening address by Kofi Annan, live music from Africa's famous story tellers and fiddlers of northern Sweden, and actors from Ingmar Bergman's ensemble are interspersed with the forum's heavy hitting delegates and the agenda of tackling the tough questions facing planet Earth.

When I first went to Tallberg in 1995, it was a small group of 30 or 40 business leaders and important thinkers from around the world. This past year, it had grown to 500 participants plus accompanying family members. Led by ex-Volvo vice president and impresario Bo Ekman, Tallberg is a podium for people to speak freely about world transformation and engage in productive dialogue.

The Tallberg Forum makes no declarations and issues no recommendations. The forum's result lies in the many initiatives and ideas that the participants bring back home and integrate in their actions as leaders.

TALLBERG SNAPSHOTS

• Zainab Salbis of Women for Women and other activists shared stories of the horrific challenges facing victims of war and famine and how they are improving their lives.

• The new woman president of Latvia, a scientist, spoke about stewardship and progress as one and the same. The 30-something president of Georgia shared his struggles to end corruption and create democracy and abundance for his people.

• The leader of the student democracy and free speech movement at Tiannamenn Square told how, at that historical moment, he was not afraid to die, and vowed to return someday to China.

• Amory Lovins, director of the Rocky Mountain Institute and author of Winning the Oil Endgame, chatted with Prince Turki Al Faisal, the Saudi ambassadpr to the U.S., about the newest alternative to steel — fiberforge.

• Lord Blackheath of Great Britain offered $10 million on the spot to finance a week of peace in the Middle East.

• Venture Capitalists and new technology inventors sat together in the same room discussing how to get the newest technology to market in time to save the world from environmental calamity and the end of oil.

Activist Zainab Salbis of Women for Women shares stories of the horrifi c challenges facing victims of war and famine and how their lives can be improved.