A snapshot of Costa Rica's capital San Jose
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Close your eyes and go to your happy place. If it were to be distinguishable by features of topography, biology or culture, which country would it be?
If it’s Costa Rica, you might be onto something. The country was recently recognized as the happiest, greenest place on earth, according to a survey conducted by The New Economics Foundation, a British non-governmental group.
But the Latin American nation didn’t just top the list based on its idyllic tropical beaches, tasty Latin food, world’s best coffee and jaw-dropping jungle–all things that would qualify it as my happy place.
Looking at 143 countries, the survey weighed life expectancy and people’s happiness factor against their environmental impact.
Costa Ricans take the limelight living a nice long life at an average of 78.5 years and 85 percent of them agree that they consider themselves happy and content in their lives. All of this combined with Costa Rica’s light ecological footprint and their priority to protect their national parks and wildlife reserves.
The United States has some hard work ahead if we ever want to take over the happy, green stage or even try to compete with such a convivial country like Costa Rica, but if we’d like to, our take-away should look something like this:
Let’s…
1. Live minimally.
Let’s toss away the notion that more stuff equates to happiness and be grateful for what we already have—extending this notion beyond our infamous Thanksgiving.
2. Slow down.
Costa Rica has a national slogan called “Pura Vida”—the “Pure Life.” They know how to take naps (which are consequently good for the planet and heart health), enjoy a good cup of antioxidant rich coffee (while sitting, not wasteful to-go cup style), and live peacefully. The country uniquely exists without an army.
3. Show support.
Our government might not be as pro-active as Costa Rica’s when it comes to protecting land so we the people need to show the people that do protect them some love. Donate money or volunteer for one of several of the organizations helping to protect our country’s wildlife and nature reserves. A good place to start is with Planet Green’s non-profit partners!
More on Costa Rica:
Costa Rica, New Zealand and France: Eco-Friendly Countries for Green Travel
Are You a Green Globetrotter? (Quiz)
Costa Rica on TreeHugger
Want to Live a Long, Happy, Sustainable Life? Consider Central America
Carbon Neutral Vacations in Costa Rica
Got a tip or a post idea for us to write about on Planet Green? Email pgtips (at) treehugger (dot) com.
