Don’t worry – the green will come!

We’ve had a wonderful winter here in Helsinki this year. Some might argue that it has lasted long enough, but I don’t mind enjoying the snow and its beauty for a while longer. The good news is that we’re well on our way to long, lovely sunlight afternoons when you can have a coffee outside, wear your brand new sunglasses and get a few freckles. Don’t forget the sun block, people! (more…)

Welcome to the capital of Finland – a place where the environment has always been challenging

When your airplane starts landing at the Helsinki airport you might witness two completely different views, depending on the time of year: either extensive green forests dotted with blue lakes or scenery totally covered in white snow and ice. This unique capital is surrounded by pure, wild nature, where temperatures vary between -20 and + 30 degrees centigrade. But regardless of when you arrive here, you can rest assured that everything works as promised, on time and exploiting the latest technology. (more…)

Future Forward – Travis Price

An indefatigable explorer of myth on a lifelong quest to engage the spirit of place, architect Travis Price likens landing in Helsinki, recently named the 2012 Design Capital of the World by the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid), to “entering a vast strawberry field of embedded design.” Says Price, “I found myself floating between products and buildings and digital technology and food and full living culture where everything was simple but not simplistic.” In contrast to this Nordic simplicity, he discovered an almost Asian influence expressing itself in such disparate sources as the Byzantine Uspenski Orthodox Church or a swath of baroque Marimekko fabric. Finland lies in the merging of those two worlds; it’s the emerging crossroads of the world.”
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Future Forward – Nora Pouillon

In Helsinki, Nora Pouillon, chef, educator, and organic food advocate, discovered kindred spirits in hosts Aki Arjola, chairman of UniOne Oy, the company behind Eat&Joy, a series of events showcasing Finnish food, and chef and restaurateur Jyrki Sukula, advocate for the organic food in the school lunch program. “They are working to rebuild the culinary culture of Finland,” says Pouillon. “Their broad strategy is to introduce organic local food and produce to the general public to foster connections and new access to the Finnish food legacy. People in Finland go to the supermarkets and buy things that come from Sweden, Denmark, Germany, wherever, and they forget their own culture. Through a farmers’ market, a store featuring local producers, and the school lunch program, Aki and Jyrki aim to bring Finnish food and culture back into the life of the Finnish people.” (more…)

Future Forward – Dr. Marta Palacios

Dr. Marta Palacios, principal of Washington, DC’s Bruce-Monroe Elementary School, talks about her recent immersion in Helsinki education as a journey into the three Ps– play, pedagogy and professionalism. “In Finland there is no rigorous model of teaching and observation, but in terms of moving ahead with instruction and the way teachers work together, I now find myself referencing Helsinki, saying, this is the way it’s done in Finland.”

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Future Forward – Scott Goodstein

Since his travels to Helsinki, Scott Goodstein has been on the move about the globe, with stops, for example, in Australia and Brazil. Working on his business focused on social networking, text messaging, and lifestyle marketing for non-profits and political campaigns, he is constantly attending and lecturing at industry conferences after his two-year stint with the Obama presidential campaign. He notes the majority of these events attended lack the incredible level of organization he experienced on his Helsinki trip. “Every single meeting was very thought out and impressive,” recalls Goodstein. “I actually personally gained out of just about every meeting, far exceeding my expectations.” (more…)

Future Forward – Peter Corbett

To his surprise, Peter Corbett discovered in Helsinki a very Finnish-focused technology innovation community. Meeting with more than 50 technology community members, from people running start -ups, to people at Forum Virium, he encountered intelligent and creative engineers, but missing was the global vision for technology innovation he expected that so defines the U.S. startup community. “The Finnish startups I met all said they wanted everyone in Finland to use their service. I got to thinking, that’s kind of odd; there are five million people in Finland. When someone builds a technology company in the U.S., they say I want the entire world to use my service. I thought the homogeneity of the population in Finland was both a good thing and a bad thing for the country. I could see them benefiting from a broader perspective to help them break out of that mentality and bubble of thinking of Finland only.” (more…)

Future Forward – Davey Yarborough

In Helsinki, Davey Yarborough found himself opened to a “whole culture with emphasis on education and the facilitation of education.” Says Yarborough, “In Finland, music education is facilitated, all the way from elementary school to college. Here the mandate of having instrumental music programs in the elementary level and secondary level was relaxed quite a few years ago. We’ve been trying to recover ever since.” Seeing what he calls ‘an example of what the possibilities are when things are right,” Yarborough, despite budget cuts, finds himself newly inspired as a driving force for the move back toward that kind of level of music accessibility for all students. (more…)