Hi there!

August is a month which indicates that a new time is coming! As always, the rhythm of nature with its changes of the seasons – but also for individuals and organisations, we are all part of this eternal cycle of time!

Time is a good thing which unfortunately appears to be misunderstood. The modern world simply does not seem to appreciate the value of every moment – that is, things take time to do! The examples are numerous from the media (not least the so-called social media), the world of politics as well as in science etc, where many simply did not take the time to undertake a critical basic research of one’s intended subject, check facts and overall to put things into a larger context. Is it therefore so surprising that we live in a time of fake news, inventive facts and an increasingly rapidly changing and troubled world?

Or as Lars Hansen – the Head of the organisation, in a speech, prior to The IK Foundation's 30 years Jubilee in 2018 – summarised his observations:

“30 years after the creation of The IK Foundation, the world looks quite different. The digital revolution is incredible with all its possibilities for people to find information, contacts, ideas and knowledge, but equally inadequate when used for misinformation. The world's population has grown by almost 2 500 000 000 people since 1988, the pure "wild" nature is being exploited at an accelerating rate, diversity of fauna and flora have increasing difficulty in finding space or keeping existing habitats, already an increasing majority of the world's population lives in urban landscapes far from natural environments.

In a short amount of time, countries, people and organisations will have begun – more and more – to use words like "elite" and speak in forms like "us and them" – a conscious distance from their surrounding world. Having said that, the world is still filled with knowledge, opportunities and ideas, which through the digital world, among other things, have great potential for establishing unique projects in completely new ways. IK will continue with "Promoting Natural & Cultural History – To understand Planet Earth". We will continue to work interdisciplinary, as far as possible, publishing our results openly and freely – which we think is a democratic right. Long-term results are in our "genes" as well as thinking cross-border between countries, cultures and disciplines...”

As the natural world begins to change colours, fragrances and sounds in August and September, The IK Foundation's studies and networks begin to be filled with people, work and ideas. Places where the doors are always open and time is a good thing!