Just as some people are thinking they have heard enough tree-hugging, GREEN talk. Like, Wal-Mart has gone GREEN? We need a new word! Someone mentioned that there is a movement to shift to BLUE - think sky, clear water…or at least that’s the color we remember connecting with them.

Now we discover that the Scandinavians have long used the word ‘Lagom’ to appropriately describe just what we are looking for to expand the fate of GREEN to something really meaningful.

Lagom is Swedish for ‘just enough’ - an appropriate perfection. The phrase lagom är bäst means ‘enough is as good as a feast’.

US trend-spotter, Faith Popcorn, in her BrainReserve market research forecasts for 2008, has latched onto this terminology of Lagom in her recent forecasts:

Trend: Reactions to Cashing Out:
“Lagom: From the Swedish, most commonly translated as “just enough”, it’s an approach to both design and consumption that explains the essence of brands like Ikea and Volvo. We see notions of “minimalism” and “sustainability” taking on significant currency, as even Americans reject hyper-consumption.”

The Brain Reserve Trend report continues, “… we’ll see a basic shift in the identity/mentality of people, as they make the transition from “consumer” to “citizen” - recognizing that every act of consumption has cost and consequence beyond the transaction, and that every transaction is a “vote” in favor of the offering entity, and against the options not chosen. To compete, companies are going to have to weave “goodness” as a fundamental intent into their corporate culture.”

Read more at BrainReserve website.

Explore other possibilities at these Websites:
www.locavores.com
Barbara Kingsolver’s Book: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
www.treehugger.com
www.eatthesuburbs.org
www.awakeningearth.com - Is Humanity Growing Up? video