Around the world, masses of people are working to create some positive changes — like creating Gross National Happiness measures to lessen the dominance of Gross Domestic Product measures (that can only reveal so much about “how we are doing”).
I was fortunate to meet the Prime Minister of Bhutan at a United Nations meeting on Happiness & Well-Being: Developing a New Economic Paradigm, hosted by Bhutan and attended by the likes of Prince Charles (via Skype), The Presidents of Costa Rica, Argentina, scholars like Joseph Stiglitz, Jeffrey Sachs, Martin Seligman, religious leaders from around the world and many others. Leaders and lay people from around the world are busy brainstorming, researching, teaching and putting into action tools to build greater global well-being.
There are many resources if you are interested in learning more:
Solutions magazine — they devoted an issue to the recent UN meeting on Happiness & Well-Being: Developing a New Economic Paradigm. I met the Editor, Robert Costanza, from Portland State University, at the UN meeting — he is as committed to sustainability as anyone I know — and creating a wondrous ripple effect with his work. Check it out:
The Solutions Journal
http://www.thesolutionsjournal.com/
About GNH
Curious about GNH and what impact it is having in the US? Around the world? Take a look at this website and see what a group in the US is doing to get things moving in a big, positive way. http://www.gnhusa.org/
I met the co-founder, Tom Barefoot at the UN meeting. He and his team are smart, fun, passionate about living well on this planet and helping others do so. In fact, they just held a conference for the state of Vermont to adopt an official measurement of GNH!
Stay tuned for an interview with a Maryland official who has launched a state-wide “Green Maryland” initiative, survey, and various processes to measure the state’s GNH and put the sustainable priorities into practice.
Stay tuned! Stay informed! Stay involved!
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