Background
What does it mean to have a good life? Is financial success at the heart of it? And does it have to cost the Earth?
At it’s root, these are the questions that the Happy Planet Index has addressed since its creation in 2006. One of the best-known Beyond GDP initiatives, it has inspired campaigners and politicians alike to question how we measure progress.
In 2026, we are bringing these questions to a new audience: school children. We’re working with sustainability education experts kosmos-b and The Miracle Inn, to develop and pilot materials to explore the HPI in school.
About the Project
The Happy Planet Index has already been integrated into multiple school textbooks, particularly in Germany.
Our objective in this project is to develop materials that can be picked up by schoolteachers and sustainability educators anywhere to explore the core messages of the Happy Planet Index. We’re focussing on school children in Germany and the UK aged between 11 and 13 years old.
During the project, we’ll be piloting materials in three classes in each country, before preparing a polished toolkit.
In future projects, we hope to develop materials for older children, focussing on specific subjects such as geography or economics.
Partners
Funders
