What began “in concert with nature” at the Church of Siljansnäs, ended with a memorably impromptu jam session on the stage of the Earth in the Forum tent in Tällberg. In between were four very special days. Participants worked hard, consistently pushing the envelope of our common understanding of the new global realities that have us bound and bounded together.

How on earth can we live together? In search of the common sense

The Tällberg Forum 2008 (which took place 26-29 June 2008) went far beyond our expectations. For the fourth year running, we feel we have delivered an exceptional production of substance and creativity, an event that touched the minds and hearts of the 400 participants. The Forum’s uniqueness can once again be recognized, through the holistic approach and the special atmosphere, or ethos, that is created.

To be sure, the Forum helped us understand the momentous scale of our global problems. It also became increasingly clear that the gap is not closing between the knowledge and insights of the scientists looking at the state of our planet, and the analysis on which current strategies and policies are based. 

At the same time, it left many, not with the despair of 2007, but with a sense of hope and purpose. This is in part because many of the conversations at the Forum were more action-oriented, especially in the parallel “Re-Designing Workshops” that were prototyping solutions in nine different areas. 

Reflections from the Foundation

Thanks to the 350 ad and the launch of the Plan C concept, the Tällberg media coverage got off to a very good start with articles in the Swedish daily papers and programmes in prime-time TV and radio news covering the event. In Sweden alone, there were almost 300 articles published in the print media. Also, many hours of Forum deliberations were broadcast during and after the event. New this year were live webcasts from all plenary sessions. A selection of these can be seen at our webpage.

Several parallel events took place the days before the Forum: The New Leader Program was successfully staged for the third year running. Two pre-forum workshops were organized, one on Planetary Boundaries and one on Moral Imperatives (both as part of the Tällberg Consensus project in co-operation with Stockholm Environment Institute) and a workshop for regional policymakers from Dalarna took place. 

For us, the Forum has turned out to be central catalyzing event in two important projects: One is the Plan C project (and the Tällberg Consensus/SEI-relationship), which was greatly helped by the two pre-Forum workshops, the Re-Designing Workshop and numerous conversations. The other is the 2010 “Re-Work the World” project, where various pre-Forum meetings and a Re-Designing Workshop greatly helped the planning process.