FACES & PLACES GREEN LIVING JULY 2009   Happiness Found in Greener Lifestyle? by Hope Blaythorne I recently saw a poll that was conducted by an independent research group in Britain that used the "Happy Planet Index," which seeks countries with the most content populance, or essentially the “Happiest place in the world”. Their research found the small Central American country of Costa Rica had beat out such heavyweights as the US and Canada and other larger more “developed” countries the world over. What they found as they conducted their research was that Costa Rica was a country with a goal of building a new economy “centered on people and the environment”. This aggressive goal - which the country takes quite seriously - is the secret to why they posses the most contented people in the world.  The index takes into consideration the ecological footprint and life expectancy of the countries, and Costa Rica stood out like a diamond amongst some smoggy rocks.  As you review the study, you can’t help but realize the impact a “greener” lifestyle can have on a community/country. Costa Rica is a small country located between Nicaragua and Panama, and, with no army of its own, is renowned for its peacemaking efforts. The President of Costa Rica, Oscar Arias Sanchez, won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for trying to help end civil wars in neighboring countries. So rather than funneling funds for a defense budget, they can use those dollars to increase literacy (Costa Rica is one of the most literate countries in Latin America) while they also work to preserve their natural resources. This beautiful country has some incredible natural resources: cloud forests, rain forests, lakes, volcanoes, two beautiful coasts with pristine beaches, and so many varieties of birds, you’d think you were in a jungle Shangri-la. I believe Costa Rica is an excellent role model for what striving for a “balanced” economy can do for the population; one that is centered on its people and the environment, and what the effect of this new economy can do for the people in that country. Better Health. Life expectancy is 78 years in Costa Rica. Better health means lower health care costs due to lack of “diseases of developed countries”, obesity, heart disease and more. More Opportunity. Costa Rica has the lowest unemployment rate of Latin America at 4.8 %. Smaller Ecological Footprint-. The county narrowly fails to achieve the goal of consuming its fair share of the earth’s natural resources and strives to continue to improve. More Social Imagination. With no army and vast untouched and protected natural resources, the people of Costa Rica have been innovative in how they create opportunity without exploiting their resources. As the US embarks on a new healthcare plan as works to address climate change, this study is an example of how these two issues go hand in hand and the impact it can have on the lifestyles and subsequent health of a country. Costa Ricans have a saying -  “Pura Vida” which means Pure Life. Maybe the US needs to adapt a similar mantra- such as “Pure Health” and work towards a smaller ecological footprint- as the “health” of our economy could benefit, as well as the “health” of our country.