GNHUSA – The Gross National Happiness American Project
The first GNH Conference in the U.S. is coming up!
GNH 2010: Changing What We Measure from Wealth to Well-Being
June 1-4th in Burlington, Vermont
http://gnhusa.org/conference/
Our Story
In November 2008, 66 international guests attended the fourth International Gross National Happiness Conference in Thimphu, Bhutan. Six attendees were from Vermont. We decided the time was ripe to import GNH concepts to the U.S., starting with our small but progressive New England home state.
In the spring of 2009, the Gross National Happiness American Project was born. The concept of Gross National Happiness dates back to the birth of the United States when the framers of the Declaration of Independence guaranteed the American people a government that protects our “inalienable Rights,” among which are “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Very recently, the new government of the world’s youngest Democracy, Bhutan, adopted its first constitution. This enlightened document echoes our own Declaration of Independence by pledging to “secure the blessings of liberty, to ensure justice and tranquility and to enhance the unity, happiness and well being of the people for all time…”
Bhutan has taken it a step further. In 1972, the fourth King of Bhutan, HM Jigme Singye Wangchuck declared, “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestic Product.” Since then, Bhutan has been developing the practice of using well-being indicators to guide national development. In 2008, the current King proclaimed that fulfilling the vision of GNH will be one of the four main responsibilities of his reign. Bhutan also held their first elections. At the request of the King, the Centre for Bhutan Studies developed the Gross National Happiness index to reflect Bhutanese values, set benchmarks, and track development policies and performance of the country. (www.grossnationalhappiness.com)
How do we finally move toward the Founding Father’s vision of everyone’s right to “the pursuit of happiness?” We believe the time is ripe to adopt American versions of GNH as the paradigm for defining, tracking and supporting those policies which truly support our national well-being. That is the step we need to take in the United States.
Gross National Happiness USA envisions a sustainable future, based on the use of a comprehensive set of social progress indicators that reflects our American values and truly supports life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.