The Happiest Place on Earth
Costa Rica has stolen Disneyworld’s self-proclaimed distinction of being “the happiest place on earth.” According to a just released poll by the New Economics Foundation, a UK-based think tank, Costa Ricans report the highest life satisfaction in the world, have the second-highest average life expectancy of the Americas (second only to Canada) and have an ecological footprint that means that the country only narrowly fails to achieve the goal of ‘one-planet living’: consuming its fair share of the Earth’s natural resources. (Here’s a link to the report: http://www.happyplanetindex.org/news/).
Anybody who has ever visited or vacationed in the Central American paradise will tell you that indeed people there seem to be happy, cheerful, productive and overall content with their lives. What’s their secret? The NEF report puts a lot of emphasis on environmental sustainability as an indicator of living well. Costa Ricans have long been at the forefront of the environmental movement. What can we learn from them in order to improve our day-to-day lives?
