What if living lighter on the earth was not only beneficial for the earth's climate, but for human health and happiness as well? What if, instead of debating what roads to build in a city or what economic incentives were needed, we would think about our own health and happiness first?
Living a less materialistic life, with more opportunities to spend time with family and friends, the chance to feel more connected to the local community, and engage in active transportation will contribute to a longer, healthier and more meaningful life.
Those are the reassuring discoveries that give credence to the notion that a simpler life is more joyful - and more environmentally sound. Changing our behaviours to reduce our carbon footprint isn't only an ecological act but also an important social act that can better our quality of life and overall wellbeing.
Catherine O'Brien coined the term sustainable happiness, and defined it as "the pursuit of happiness that does not exploit other people, the environment or future generations."
O'Brien's research shows the strong links between personal happiness and
environmental and social sustainability. Examples from around the world are
showing the way forward. 
Gross Domestic Happiness
Spending time with friends and feeling connected to the community as
well as ample recreational opportunities both contribute to increased
happiness. It's even better to spend time in nature - with friends.
In 1972, the ruler of Bhutan, a small remote kingdom in the heart of the Himalayan Mountains, made the dramatic decision to start measuring the country's progress according to the citizens' level of contentment.
Instead of looking at Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as the indicator of a thriving economy, an indicator of Gross Domestic Happiness (GDH) looks at economic self-reliance, a pristine environment, the preservation and promotion of Bhutan's culture, and good governance in the form of a constitutional democracy.
Bhutan's happiness formula was echoed by the city of Bogotá, Colombia. The former major, Enrique Peñalosa, chose to 'plan for happiness'. As a city planning decision, Peñalosa wanted to do what was right for the city's children.
Sometimes called the plan to take the city from "living hell to living well", Bogota's urban happiness plan meant taking the streets back from cars, and giving them back to the people, finding ways to introduce the population to the benefits of a pedestrian lifestyle and increase their day to day emotional well being. This major urban planning endeavour has become an international model for planning with the best interests of the people in mind.
The Bogotà success story was not born out of the mayor's commitment to environmental action or reducing the city's emissions, but simply out of his desire to better people's lives, and yet the results clearly had benefits on the natural environment and human lives.
The research is flooding in from various disciplines. Spending more time building strong relationships locally, participating in active transportation, changing urban design to build for people instead of cars and overall planning for sustainable happiness can actually change people's states of mind for the better.
"The new science of happiness indicates that authentic happiness, the enduring happiness that causes us to feel satisfied with our lives, is found through less materialistic pursuits. It is grounded in intrinsic values. It is found in our relationships, meaningful work, and a sense of purpose," writes Catherine O'Brien.
More information
- Happy Planet Index: A site that measures the well-being of people in the nations of the world while taking into account their environmental impact
- Bhutan's Happiness Formula: BBC report
- Gross National Happiness
- WorldChanging.com
- Good, The magazine
