By 2040, according to the UN’s World Intellectual Property Organization chief, the traditional newspaper will be extinct and all the news we read will be provided digitally.  So is this form of media ready for the bin?

The Paperless Society
In October 2011 the Norwegian parliament bought 167 iPads – enough for each and every MP – in order to get closer to its goal of a paperless parliament. This clearly illustrates a global drive towards digital and cutting paper consumption – and Nordic regions are known for setting trends that others later follow. More telling still, in December 2011 global giant Unilever announced a huge shake-up of its £5.1bn advertising spend, citing its desire to continue leading in digital marketing and reduce the environmental impact of its advertising. Its digital ad spend has risen by 15% in the past year alone.

Investing in Digital
Some newspapers are repositioning themselves for Generation Digital and the Cloud Era. Early adopters have made investments that may pay dividends. However, converting early inroads into a mature winning formula requires a willingness to invest not just in the new digital platforms and cloud services, but also in dialogue driven open customer relationships. Advertisers are already seeing the limitations of print – having been underserved and overcharged for years – indeed, between 2006-10, print advertising revenue plummeted from $47 billion to $24 billion.

Disruptive Business Models
New players establishing a digital presence only – will have both a lower cost base and the potential for a dialogue driven business model, giving them opportunities to beat established brands at the re-defined news game. Subscription only firewalls for e-papers – may become dangerously out of step in an age of transparency, not least because shutting out (or pricing out) potential readers will impact market share and global influence. Also, I do question how tabloids will fare long term, buffeted by recent scandals and by the ‘disposable’ nature of their content.

News Consumption Shift
However, we are looking at a very different approach to interaction and consumption, with multimedia and Transmedia Platforms becoming the norm over the next two decades. But some media organisations have a distinctly traditional 20th-century mindset – recycling existing print stories online, adding a video link or two and then Tweeting as if they were something new. But it is no longer enough. The Citizen Journalist and WikiLeaks era have stimulated innovation in journalism – where consumers actively participate in news analysis and sharing – even in news narrating – so a wake-up call is required if established newspaper brands are to remain relevant.

Yesterday’s News?
Not only are we getting our current affairs in different ways, but the proliferation of an alternative news ecosystem – sourcing from social networks, video, blogs, comment and investigative journalism – means the digital media universe is going to expand and shout even louder. With emerging Transmedia formats on offer, we now happily switch between multiple devices, depending on our lifestyle, location and immediate needs. The digital transformation is well underway and sourcing news has already undertaken a whole new more authentic form.

Tomorrow’s Media
The social media marketing and advertising industry is still embryonic. Its potential for pioneering new methods of reaching people will have a profound impact. While this makes grim reading for the newspaper industry, I actually believe we will still have print newspapers in 2040. The survivors will be defined by their quality and authenticity. Maybe, also, there will be a nostalgic flavour in our choice – so we will buy our weekend paper, just as today we head to the farmers’ market to experience ‘the real thing’.

Consumer Influence
Ultimately, what will increase is consumer power and choice – whether we are talking newspapers or, for that matter, books and TV. There are huge challenges ahead – as media takes on an entirely new meaning – but also exciting opportunities to champion approaches that win the trust and hearts of tomorrow’s well-informed and influential readers.

INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES
* Internet issues facing newspapers - Clay Shirkey: Video >>
* The Economist Special Report: Bulletins from the future >>
* Gigaom: Back to the future: >>
* Seven Myths About Transmedia Storytelling Debunked: >>
* ‘Good Riddance to Mainstream Media’ – (full debate): Video >>
* Unilever to shake up £5.1bn global advertising spend >>
* Cost Cuts Are in Store for P&G and Unilever >>

IMAGES & INFOGRAPHICS
1. Babelia - Google image
2. Newspaper Extinction Timeline – Key Factors >>
3. Newspaper Extinction Timeline – World Map >>
4. Paid-for Daily Newspapers – The Economist 

Forget the ‘one-size-fits-all’ package – travellers want meaningful experiences that offer inspiration, intelligent insights and self-improvement. Increasingly learning opportunities will inform how we travel.

Collaborative Facilitators
When we travel precious time and money are invested in return for life-enhancing experiences. No wonder we expect so much from today’s service providers. Total Transparency, open dialogue and collaboration are essential to co-creating a journey that fulfils our aspiration and dreams.

Trusted Guides
Cloud Culture and social networks invite us to exchange valuable insights about our destination and these days more and more of us are experts at finding the best deals. We also look to curate ‘life changing experiences’ – often spending more time in planning than on the journey itself. However, the sheer quantity of data and peer-to-peer reviews is overwhelming – therefore traditional travel agents have now become specialist ‘travel editors’, facilitators and trusted guides who work with us to make our trip truly unique.

Global Mobility
Increasingly people are migrating for work, career and life experiences. With a predicted global mobile workforce of 1.19 billion by 2013, mobility has become everyday. This also means travel has taken on an entirely new meaning. To deliver real value and engage with the true needs of the Global Citizen, agility, convergence and seamless services must be incorporated into each and every offering.

Affinity Networks
We may be immersed in another culture, but we will demand affinity networks and familiar touch points that let us learn and share. New Economies are poised to redefine the market – both as travel destinations and travellers – and they bring a set of cultural value sets, expectations for connectivity and service standards that already profoundly influence on the way we experience the world.

‘Deep’ Encounters
Travellers are looking for depth of experience – not just breadth – in order to explore cultural roots and new authentic narratives. This widespread trend means destinations and operators must harness Cultural Capital and weave in locality, storytelling and rediscovery of nation identity. Cultural tourism is an influential travel concept that offers endless possibilities for delivering meaning.

Lifelong Learning
Tourism as a learning experience and educational tool is a truly widespread trend. In particular, responsible travel is a growing niche – while preserving our fragile ecology we discover new places and people, becoming a participant in their world. Experiencing local culture – either as a travelanthropist (travel + philanthropist) or voluntourist – enables us to become responsible citizens, doing our bit to create A Better World.

Authentic Happiness
Alongside volunteering holidays – said to increase life expectancy and reduce symptoms of ill health – there are fresh opportunities in tapping into our desire for Intelligent Health and quality of life. Experiences that include life coaching, bespoke fitness and pampering feed our minds and refresh our bodies. Wellbeing and Happiness is also a core part of corporate social responsibility – and a key concern of governments – so paid ‘time out’ for  may soon become the norm.

Personal Meaning
Travel, done well, gives us a slice of The Good Life we crave – but service and tour operators must enable us to co-create the journey, so that it delivers personal meaning, education and inspiration. They must remember, too, that travellers are no longer just passive observers and consumers, but pro-active explorers and producers.

Recharge and Reconnect
The forecast for tomorrow’s travel industry is bright, provided it engages in meaningful dialogue and focuses on delivering economic, social and emotional value. So perhaps, business travellers of the future may be encouraged to add on cultural or ‘mind body spirit’ experiences on either side of a business trip to help them recharge and reconnect.

IMAGES
1. Via dei Fori Imperiali, Rome
2. Louise Bourgeois, Tate Modern >>
3. Pick & Mix section at Intrepid Travel, London 
4. The Weather Project at Tate Modern by Olafur Eliasson >>
5. Anne Lise Kjaer at Intrepid Travel, London >>
6. Juvet landscape Hotel by Jensen & Skodvin Norway >>
7. Mývatn Nature Baths, Iceland
8. Askja Lunar landscape, Iceland
9. The Traveller’s Guide to Happiness - travelsupermarket.com

Nagged by scaremongers and ‘besserwissers’ about every aspect of child-rearing, parents are tired of being told what to do. Little wonder then that an alternative approach is gaining ground.

The Premium Project
From the moment a couple decide they are going to try for a kid a deluge of parenting books and advice is heaped upon them. This booming industry has put a premium on all things baby and child ever since parenthood became a lifestyle project and something to schedule into a busy and successful career and ‘Me centred’ world. While this approach to parenting is still going strong, emerging currents and influences are showing tomorrow’s parents a new way.

Tomorrow’s Parents
The well documented failings of authorities, institutions and ‘experts’ are all the more galling when this same crowd turn around and blame parents for everything from public disorder and increased childhood obesity to the so-called ADHD epidemic. Tired of the advice, the ‘rampant consumerism’ and the political correctness, many parents are seeking out alternative values. Focus is shifting from status and keeping up with the Joneses – to a new social approach of sitting down and having a chat with the Joneses, or the Olsons, or the Patels while the kids are playing… on their own.

Free Range Kids
In 2008 mum Lenore Skenazy let her 9 year old son ride the New York Subway alone causing a firestorm of outrage from concerned people around the world. A few years and a prolonged recession later, a movement called ‘Free Range Kids’ is mushrooming. ‘Free Range Kids’ is about rejecting a fear-based approach to child rearing. It means letting go of some control, trusting your children and – even more daring – having faith in your fellow citizens, those ‘strangers’ your kids may encounter when they are out exploring their world on their own.

The Idle Parent
Maybe there really is a different way. Alain De Botton from The School of Life said that: “The Idle Parent is the most helpful and consoling child-raising manual I’ve yet read”. Take a moment to consider ‘The Manifesto of the Idle Parent’.

* We reject the idea that parenting requires hard work
* We pledge to leave our children alone
* We reject the rampant consumerism that invades children from birth
* We read them poetry and fantastic stories without morals
* We drink alcohol without guilt
* We reject the inner Puritan
* We don’t waste money on family days out and holidays
* An idle parent is a thrifty parent
* An idle parent is a creative parent
* We lie in bed for as long as possible
* We try not to interfere
* We play in the fields and forests
* We push them into the garden and shut the door so we can clean
* We both work as little as possible, particularly when the kids are small
* Time is more important than money
* Happy mess is better than miserable tidiness
* Down with school
* We fill the house with music and merriment
* We reject health and safety guidelines
* We embrace responsibility
* There are many paths
* More play, less work

In the, The Idle Parent Tom Hodgkinson argues that both kids and adult alike need to play more and work less. We make far too much fuss about parenting. Leaving kids alone to have fun and explore the world around them means they will become more self-reliant, more active and sleep better. They may, in fact, grow into precisely the kind of happy and well-adjusted adults we wish them to be.

INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES
* The Idle Parent - How to Enjoy Family Life >>
* Parenting guru Prescribes: Less Fuss – and More Fun >>
* Changing Education Paradigms: Ken Robinson – RSA Animate >>

IMAGES
1. Kids in Norway in Brekke 2011
2. ADHD: Screenshot of RSA Animate >>
3. Danger Free Range Children >>
4. The Idle Parent book

Reducing domestic food waste is fast becoming a core sustainability concern and one that is part of a greater debate regarding ‘end-of-use’.

Waste – Waste Not
Every year in the UK alone 7.2 million tonnes of food is thrown away – most of which could have been eaten. That number rises to 670 million tonnes across the developed world, with rich countries primarily wasting food at consumer level. Food is part of a much wider issue of wastefulness for generations who have never had to practise frugality, and this behaviour is now under scrutiny.

Love Food Hate Waste
Increasingly people are waking up to the significance of this loss of resources. New behaviours and consumption patterns are slowly but surely finding their way to the fore. And is this really going to have any impact on the environment? According to Love-Food-Hate-Waste – dedicated to helping people cut food waste – changing our grocery buying habits for the better could be equivalent to taking 1 car in 5 off the UK streets.

Frugality Revived
Our parents and grandparents can teach us a lesson here, so it is heartening to see the revival of such practices as home composting – ensuring the peelings, trimmings and over-ripe food goes back to ground, not landfill, also improving next year’s garden. Then too, there are a multitude of ‘frugal living’ blogs where people share their clever tips on how to save some money and be a little gentler towards the planet.

Clever Consumption
Much talk about ‘end-of-use’ could be seen as governments, producers, businesses and brands throwing the sustainability ball back in the consumer’s court. However, I believe the case is rather one of how society at large engages in raising awareness of how to consume in the most efficient and sustainable way. Producers should re-invent end-of-use through design, while responsible retailers must start practising simple things such as ‘half price’ promotions on one item, rather than ‘two for one’, on easily perishable goods.

Microbial Homes
Philips have gone even further and have created ‘the microbial home’ as part of the Design Probes program, exploring future lifestyle scenarios. At the centre of the microbial home is a kitchen that is powered by leftovers via the ‘bio-digester island’ – the central hub of the design. This might not even be as futuristic as Philips projects, as many such initiatives to convert waste to usable energy are already coming on stream across the world, including in India and China.

Positive Influencers
But as always, at the heart this issue are people. In the industrialised world we need a radical lesson and mindset shift on how our consumption behaviour determines the food lifecycle. The good news is that ‘positive influencers’ have successfully risen to the challenge of creating a community event conceived to change behaviour. The ‘Feeding the 5000’ free lunch in Trafalgar square aims to “show how easy it is to reduce the unimaginable levels of food waste in the UK and internationally. Events like these are inviting government, businesses and individuals alike, to do our bit and hopefully have some fun and a full belly in the process.

INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES
* Love Food Hate Waste >>
* Philips’s Microbial Home – takes kitchen design back to the future >>
* Food waste in numbers: >>
* Philips Microbial Home: >>
* Love Food Hate Waste >>
* Food waste and future food security: >>
* Food: Why we waste so much: >>

IMAGES
1. Love Food Hate Waste >>
2. Philips Microbial Home >>
3. Love Food Hate Waste >>
4. Philips Microbial Home >>
5. Feeding the 5000 >>
6. Info Graphic: The Big Food Wasters (NGF) >>

The female factor is finally being considered an important currency, with more and more women influencing society and business. This means fresh approaches to trading, collaborating and creating value.

Female Economics
As EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding says: “Closing the gender gap at the top of the business world is a win-win situation”. The good news is that after decades of women mimicking traditional masculine power relations, we now see the emergence of a new female leadership role model. One shining example is Elinor Ostrom, who became the first woman ever to receive the Nobel Prize in Economics. Most notably she has pioneered research into commons – resources that don’t belong to one nation or organisation, but to all of us. So that’s economics focusing on the monetary value of collaboration and sharing, the type of approach that could lead to new economic models.

Women in Technology & Science
Another great role model is HTC co-founder and chair Cher Wang, whose company has pioneered radical mobile technology like Android and is committed to open source technology through the Open Handset Alliance. Professor Susan Greenfield, Professor of Synaptic Pharmacology at Oxford and former Director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain puts it very well: “The future could be female for many reasons: perhaps the most obvious is that we will shift increasingly from manufacturing industries, requiring muscle power, to work with our brains”.

Whole-Brain Leaders
Encouraged by global initiatives – such as UN Women and the Beijing Declaration – ‘Feminine’ is becoming sought after as a value and an approach. I would describe feminine as encompassing the softer values, such as ethics, caring and collaboration. This adds up to an empathic leadership model embracing left and right brain thinking – analytical and intuitive aspects – creating a whole-brain vision.

Academic Girl Power
As the knowledge economy grows there is a corresponding need for academics and thinkers. And increasingly women are better educated than men. For instance, 6 in 10 people qualified in life sciences are now women, according to OECD (2010). Female researchers are growing at nearly twice the rate of their male counterparts. Women also make up 60% of university graduates in the EU, and since 2000, female employees have taken three quarters of the new jobs generated in Europe. So where might this lead us?

Tomorrow’s Business is Female
I predict it will lead to more transparency, flexibility and fluidity within the business world. Not only will female leadership inspire empathic values and organisational innovation, it will also mean increased GDP. I’m not alone in making this positive forecast. Back in 2007, Goldman Sachs carried out projections on Gender Inequality, Growth and Global Ageing to explore the impact of female employment rates being equal to those of men. This found that if everything else remains constant, the Eurozone’s GDP could potentially increase by as much as 13%.

Feminine Balance Boosts GDP
Another study by McKinsey stated that the best companies in terms of work environment, innovation, accountability and profits were those with a higher proportion of women on their board. According to McKinsey & Co’s latest report Women Matter, companies with a gender-balanced composition can achieve an operational profit 56% higher than that of male only companies. We are already seeing many global female influencers and leaders – especially in Scandinavia where women are very visible across every sphere of public life – encouraging this trend must surely benefit society as a whole, and at every level.

Investing in Women
I was fascinated to read Fast Company’s 2011 list of Most Influential Women in technology. However, I’m looking forward to the day when lists of companies with a healthy balance of both genders are published. I would suggest that this information will become a useful tool for investors and consumers alike – enabling them to assess not only the balanced and ethical policies of an organisation, but its potential for sustainable wealth generation.

INSPIRATIONAL REPORTS
* Most Influential Women in Tech 2011 >>
* Women Matter 2010: Women at the top: Making it happen >>
* Womenomics 3.0: The Time is Now >>
* The 50 Best Moments For Women In 2011 >>

IMAGES
1: Anne Lise Kjaer – Keynote Era Monte Carlo 2010
2: Elinor Ostrom – Nobel Prize winner in Economics >>
3: Cher Wang – CEO & co-founder HTC >>
4: Susan Greenfield - Professor of Pharmacology at Oxford >>

Currently the media landscape is undergoing a profound transformation. So having a system in place to identify relevant opportunities is crucial for navigating tomorrow’s digital world.

Life Optimisers
The rapid changes caused by cloud computing are redefining society at large. This is part of a bigger shift in values as more people look to optimise life on all levels. This is hardly surprising when we consider how work/life convergence, leaves people under increased time pressure.

Reach Out and Connect
As consumers, our contradictory desires for Fast (always-on efficiency) and Slow (caring emotional engagement) are proving challenging for service providers. Increasingly we see a demand for experiences that bring both multiple human touch-points and good value. This makes it crucial for telecom companies to engage in open dialogue to reach out and connect to customers.

Decoding Complexity
Engaging in multidimensional thinking and conversation is how companies can tap into the most essential trends and drivers to map out opportunities. A Trend Map is ideal to decode the complex social and cultural contexts of society, enabling a ‘big picture’ digital media vision to tune into the ‘real’ needs of people. These are the eight key social trends impacting tomorrow’s media landscape:

1. Radical Transparency
Reputation and trust are everything as social networks drive a culture of openness, sharing and the best deals. Good management of private data is essential for trusting relationships – and there’s a fine line between being helpful and intrusive.

2. Empowerment Technology
Mobile digital technology brings empowerment as we can now manage our work and social interaction wherever we are. Companies must facilitate seamless experiences across multidimensional platforms because people want autonomy and safety in one package.

3. Cloud Communities
Cloud culture is assisting our hyper-connected society, allowing ‘real-time’ interactive networks with human touch points to foster a whole new ‘sharing community’. For companies to thrive, it is crucial to operate in multiple digital modes and engage in ongoing dialogue to evolve people relationships.

4. Geopolitical Power Shift
Emerging economies are fuelling change as the requirements for information and communication are being reshaped by new geopolitical focal points. Companies must embrace diversity to understand the demands of a growing global middle class.

5. Global Citizens
Connectivity, sharing and mobility will be key to engaging with global citizens and a migrating and digital fluent youth. To facilitate people’s desire to participate and stay connected, telecom providers must act as trusted guides and enable sharing and learning.

6. Cultural Capital
Growing a strong cultural legacy is crucial to success and recognition in a globalised world. It is vital to recognise that tomorrow’s successful marketing model is dialogue driven – harnessing the power and passion of community and storytelling to build and grow brand capital.

7. Interactive Storytelling
Since our ‘love affair’ with economic growth has not delivered more fulfilment, now new avenues of meaning – on both a societal and personal level – are being considered. Brands can assist this journey by recognising the value of interactive transmedia experiences: voice, visual, touch, smell all adaptive elements that weave into our personal narrative.

8. The Good Life
From politics and work to community and family, happiness and positive experiences are strong drivers. People look for engagement and positive encounters to assist them in achieving personal fulfillment and quality of life. After all, happy people live longer and have better lives.

The Future of Media
So how do these trends impact the future of media? Crucially, tomorrow’s customers are no longer passive consumers. They want meaningful experiences through accessibility, immediacy, personalisation and authenticity enabled by transmedia platforms. Opportunities to participate, content create and collaborate will add a new dimension to how people consume and interact with their chosen media.

Imagine Tomorrow
Successful brands think from the outside in and look at the bigger picture to tap into the opportunities and challenges of evolving trends, as well as the driving forces behind them. By applying a multidimensional mindset to the changing face of media, you can imagine the future, plan what your organisation should do differently, and then work out how best to do it.

INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES
* Kevin Kelly: The Future of the Digital Media Landscape >>
* A Visual Notebook on Cities and Clothes by Wim Wenders >>
* Transmedia Storytelling >>
* The Future of Media >>

IMAGES
1. A cinematographic diary by Wim Wenders >>
2. Pulse on iPad 2011 
3. John Pawson Plain Space – Design Museum London >>
4. Clouds in London
5. Global Citizens Tate Modern London
6. Interactive Storytelling: Susan Hiller Tate Britain 2011 >>

While preparing for a talk in Berlin to celebrate the United Nations International Year of Chemistry in honour of Marie Curie, I began revisiting some of the principles I was taught at school.

Everything is Chemistry
As I recall, chemistry was presented as a dry subject with no relation to the wider world I was to engage with. Now I’m struck by the fact that chemistry not only provides the building blocks of our universe, but enables us to understand the complex processes at work within our world. This set me thinking that there are some interesting parallels between chemistry and trend mapping. The Trend Atlas, which Kjaer Global use to decode cultural contexts in society, can be viewed rather like a periodic table of trends – in that it shows key elements that are shaping and reshaping our society.

New Global Paradigms
The instability of some chemical elements is well documented – just as we often witness quite disparate and volatile forces influencing our world. We have fast versus slow ways of life running in tandem – as people look for efficiency and instant gratification while also long for heartfelt experiences. Geopolitical power shifts influence global communication and consumption patterns – fuelling a new culture of ‘local capital’ with people seeking out authenticity, meaning and ‘the real thing’.

A Balanced System
The methodology that I call ‘Whole Brain Thinking’ is a system that accommodates these contradictions because it considers the world in terms of Scientific, Social, Emotional and Spiritual dimensions. In doing so, it helps us balance society forces and make future strategic decisions based on a thorough understanding of all key influences and elements at play.

Learning Laboratories
It is interesting to note that some of the most inspiring and pioneering thinking currently is focused on understanding the principles underpinning our world and then building better models for the future. The Academy for Global Citizenship in Chicago, founded by Sarah Elizabeth Ippel, provides students with both a rigorous academic framework and an inquiry-based approach – challenging them to construct personal meaning while also considering how these choices impact their community and the planet.

Female Talent
Credit is also due to the UNESCO and L’Oreal ‘Women in Science’ initiative, recognising remarkable women scientists at work through a programme of fellowships and awards. We need more such alliances between business and leading organisations in order to encourage female talent and scholarship. This brings us back to the story of Marie Curie, who reshaped our understanding of the way the universe works and is still as inspirational today as she was 100 years ago.

‘Whole Brain’ Pioneer
Not only was Marie Curie the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win for both Chemistry and Physics, but she also had a profound influence on 19^th-Century society – surely an inspiration for female empowerment movements that followed. And in taking the unusual step of refusing to patent the radium isolation process – thereby enabling the whole community to benefit and take this discovery further – she remains a shining example of what ‘Whole Brain’ thinking can achieve.

INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES
* Chemistry - our life, our future >>
* Brian Cox: ‘Physics is better than rock’n'roll’ >>
* Ten People who Changed the World >>
* The EPCA Annual Meeting report >>

IMAGES
1. Hotel Lobby in Budapest 2010
2. Dalam, Simryn Gill - Tate Modern >>
3. Madame Curie in her laboratory >>
4. Marie Curie - Standard Chemical Company on May 27, 1921 >>

In a recent interview Elle magazine asked me why the cupcake market is booming in Scandinavia? My response was: can we please stop calling our obsession with cupcakes a trend.

A Booming Industry
Clearly cupcakes are now a booming mainstream industry gone absolutely mad. It was on a visit to New York in 2005 that I first encountered cupcake-crazed women at a singleton’s birthday party. I simply didn’t get it but suddenly I noticed stylish cupcakes splashed all over every fashion magazine, from Vogue to Nylon. The rest of the world followed when Carrie Bradshaw in ’Sex and the City’ visited the Magnolia Bakery to comfort her heartache with a pastel specimen.

Cakes Baked in Cups
Obviously cupcakes didn’t just happen overnight. According to Wikipedia the cupcake can be traced as far back as 1796, and the term was first recorded in Eliza Leslie’s 1828 cookbook “Seventy-five Recipes for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats”. Before muffin tins were widely available, cakes were often baked in individual pottery cups and perhaps that’s why any teacup-sized cake is now called a ‘cupcake’.

Food Meets Fashion
The latest ‘sweet move’ was when Marc Jacobs, creative director of the French design house Louis Vuitton, launched a whole collection in pastel chiffons and sugary hues inspired by the macaroons from Parisian bakery Ladurée which, by the way, I just love (the macaroons that is). The patisserie has long been hailed as the Louis Vuitton of edible treats so now the affiliation has gone full circle. Similarly, Copenhagen-based La Glace, a famous patisserie founded in 1870, has a long-standing and popular tradition of collaboration with designers during Copenhagen Fashion Week. And recently the ‘80s celebrity shoe designer Patrick Cox opened the very successful Cox Cookies & Cakes in London’s Soho, taking the fashion + cake association to a new level.
Sweet ‘Movers & Shakers’
It’s not just cakes but everything ‘home-made’ – preferably with an authentic and rediscovered regional feel or über stylish presentation – that has seen a huge revival over the last decade. Try typing in ‘C-U-P-C-A-K-E’ on pinterest.com – the social pin board – and you will get an idea how big this phenomenon has become. I’d argue that culinary storytelling is accessible for all and a socially acceptable fascination even in times of recession.

The Cupcake Index
I’m wondering if cupcakes are something special. Rather like the Leading Lipstick Indicator or the ‘Lipstick Index’ phenomenon first recorded by Estee Lauder – where lipstick sales go up as consumer confidence goes down. Perhaps cupcake sales are actually a barometer of our mood and a small personal luxury in hard times?  If that is the case, it is going to be very interesting to follow the ‘Cupcake Index” in the year ahead.

LEADERS OF THE CUPCAKE PACK
* Dolce.Sway-my-way London: iPhone App Cupcakes: >>
* Violet Cakes - London: >>
* Magnolia Bakery - New York City: >>
* Ladurée - Paris >>

FOOD BLOGS
* David Lebovitz: Living the Sweet Life in Paris >>
* Seesaw: DAILY INSPIRATION >>
* Dietlind Wolf: Designer & Prop Stylist >>

ARTICLES
* Patrick Cox: Cupcakes, Celebrity and Controversy >>
* I loved Cupcakes before they were cool: Daydream Lilly >>
* Cupcakes: The tasty London Trend that’s Become Big Business >>
* Battle of the Cupcakes: Things That Thrill my Heart >>
* Cupcake Wars: How ‘Sex and the City’ Ruined my Neighbourhood >>

IMAGES
1: iPhone App Cupcakes >>
2: Molten Chocolate Cupcakes >>
3: Ladurée >>
4: Dietlind Wolf >>

To Consume or Not to Consume. Today’s big ethical dilemma unites us, even though we may view it as a dividing factor between the haves and have-nots.

‘Triple P’ Profit
When we consider, that 150 years ago we consumed 26 times less than we do today it is hardly surprising that people now call for brands to demonstrate that they do care. Therefore I believe that a triple P bottom line – People, Planet and then Profit – will be the sustainable 21st century business model.

Future Generations
The word sustainability can seem a bit over-used, sometimes misused. The best definition I have come across is: “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”. Most people can agree with this principle and aim to lead more sustainable lives, but our ‘Always On’ society encourages a culture of constant consumption. What’s more, a growing and ‘Hyper-Connected’ middle-class across the globe aspires to more and better, wanting it right now. This creates a tough set of challenges – Disposable vs Sustainable, Fast vs Slow.

Micro & Macro
But it can be done. There’s the case of the Danish island Samsø and its Energy Academy, a micro community in Denmark that reinvented itself by producing enough renewable energy to sell 50% on the grid. On a macro level, Canada has proved that going green pays off. It has 40% of the worlds certified forests – meaning it has chosen third-party forest certification as a means of ensuring first-rate forest management and sustainability credentials.

Society Evolution
Evolving from a production-focused mindset into a shared responsibility, engaging state, companies, communities and citizens is crucial. We must face up to a new consumption model and recognise that buying more is not a sustainable route to the future. I am uncomfortable when politicians state that it’s our ‘duty’ to go shopping to keep the economy going. Governments and organisations should stop acting as if consuming is our reason for existence.

Innovative Vision
However there are organisations carving a fresh approach. Patagonia positively encourages traceability, while the Good Guide App acts as a ‘radical transparent’ barometer to rate products on their ethical credentials. We can also applaud GE’s vision of a more balanced future. Their Ecomagination live art piece in collaboration with the National Gallery in London – demonstrates that sustainability can serve as an innovative vision as well as driving economic growth.

Planting Seeds of Hope
The answers to real sustainability lie all around us – often in surprising places. London’s Savile Row tailors trade, as they always have, on heritage, craftsmanship and a sustainable philosophy. And I admire hugely the example set by Ecologist & Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, who founded the Greenbelt Movement to redefine how Kenya’s rural areas are perceived. Now, with 40 million trees planted worldwide, she has shown us that big sustainable concepts can start small.

Wangari, once said: “By starting with the simple act of planting a tree, we give hope to ourselves and to future generations.” I think it’s time for us all to start planting seeds for a sustainable future.

Keynote by Anne Lise Kjaer ‘In Good Company at FSC Friday’s – Bonn

INSPIRATIONAL SOURCES
* Samsø is world famous for being a CO2-neutral community >>
* Van Gogh, Ecomagination-Style >>
* Plant a billion new trees >>
* Planting the future >>
* Wangari Maathai, Nobel peace prize winner, dies at 71 >>

IMAGES
1. Norway’s  Oldest Wooden House
2. FSC – Presentation 2011
3. Samsø video
4. Patagonia’s Tin Shed >>
5. Van Gogh, Ecomagination >>
6. Wangari Maathai >>