Happy Planet, Happy People: A Radical Idea Whose Time Has Come

How much happiness do we get for our planet plundering?  Is it possible to rethink the status quo at this point in human history, especially considering the alternative?

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The Happy Planet Index (HPI) is the leading global measure of sustainable well-being.

The HPI measures what matters: the extent to which countries deliver long, happy, sustainable lives for the people that live in them. The Index uses global data on life expectancy, experienced well-being and Ecological Footprint to calculate this.

The index is an efficiency measure, it ranks countries on how many long and happy lives they produce per unit of environmental input.

The 2012 HPI report ranks 151 countries and is the third time the index has been published.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sZPYI8BfnBs]

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Happy Planet Index.org

Deadly Tornado In Massachusetts Pulls Water From River, And Other Friday Links

It’s a rainy Friday in northwestern Ontario as we head into a weekend which will include, for our family, watching the second hockey game of the Stanley Cup finals between the Vancouver Canucks and the Boston Bruins. I know, today is significant because it’s the day that Stephen Harper’s government makes it first Speech from the Throne, but I’m not that interested in following what the feds are doing these days. I expect no innovative or creative ideas to come out of that quarter for the next four years (except for new kinds of divisive politics or fear-mongering).  Under Harper, Canada will be moving backwards. To stop this momentum, it will be up to the majority of Canadians to take a strong stand on what is important to them. Yes, Canadians have a reputation for being “nice”, but if we don’t take a firm, even loud/aggressive stand, we will get the (regressive) government that we deserve.

Whether the Canadian and U.S. federal governments recognize that human-forced climate change is real and is happening right now, the laws of physics and thermodynamics continue to demonstrate the reality of what we have wrought with our fossil-fuel loving ways.  Here’s some Friday links to ponder this weekend, including more extreme weather events, this time two tornadoes in Massachusetts that killed at least 4 people, flipped cars, and collapsed buildings. Dramatic footage of a twister sucking water from the Colorado River hundreds of feet into the air is now posted on YouTube:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25giqLidqug]

Deadly Massachusetts Tornadoes Flip Homes, Cars

A Potpourri of Other Interesting Links:

Climate Scientists Revealed: Tracking The Warming Planet: The Union of Concerned Scientists is currently leading a campaign to elevate the voices of climate scientists and educate the public about the overwhelming scientific evidence for human-caused global warming.  In this series, UCS partners with Grist magazine to “showcase and celebrate the researchers behind the news, the climatologists who are helping to save the planet—and your ass!”

Long Term Life Tips: Top 5 Regrets People Make on Their Deathbed:   Palliative care nurse Bronnie Ware shares what she has learned from the people she was worked with over many years.  The most surprising regret is that people wish that they had let themselves be happier:

Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.

Here’s a cute video of a brand-new cyclist who hasn’t yet forgotten to experience happiness:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaIvk1cSyG8&feature=player_embedded]

Have a great weekend everyone, and don’t forget to “be happy of yourself”!