Posts tagged Environmental Policies
Costa Rica Ranked World’s Happiest Country
Nov 29th
Natural beauty makes for happy people
It’s no wonder Costa Rica ranks as one of the world’s happiest nations. With excellent health care and a high quality of life coupled with moderate cost of living, Costa Ricans live long, healthy lives in one of the most beautiful countries on earth. Whether scientists evaluate hard facts or solicit citizen opinion, Costa Rica consistently beats out wealthier countries for life satisfaction and comparative standard of living.
The World Database of Happiness considered Gallup and other surveys from 148 nations, and Costa Rica took the top spot for both Average Happiness and Happy Life Years. The first category took into account citizens’ own reports on their happiness: Costa Ricans ranked first with a score of 8.5 on a scale of 1-10; in comparison, the United States ranks 20th, reporting an average happiness of 7.4.
Fresh, affordable and abundant produce help keep Costa Ricans healthy
The second category took into account a nation’s reported happiness and average life expectancy, calculating how many happy life years its citizens lead. Again, Costa Rica ranked first with an average 66.7 happy life years; comparatively, the United States grabbed the 19th slot, averaging 57.9 happy life years.
Additionally, the Happy Planet Index (HPI) ranked nations on reported happiness and their environmental policies. The HPI begins with the basic premise that the world’s happiest people are the ones who are most content living with the smallest ecological impact – in other words, those who enjoy sustainable happiness. Again, Costa Rica slid into first place with its high life satisfaction, life expectancy, and strong environmental policies. In comparison, the United States, with a large ecological footprint, ranked 114 among the 143 nations studied.
Costa Rica is proud of its recent rankings, but the nation’s intangible achievements may be even more impressive than those already studied. An incredible 26% of its total landmass has been declared national park or private reserve, protecting 4% of the world’s total species – that’s 500,000 animal species! In addition to an abundance of flora and fauna, the country’s small area is home to a wide range of outdoor attractions, including volcanoes, cloud forests, beaches, rainforests, and rivers. Living in Costa Rica means diverse scenery, amazing wildlife, and year-round tropical weather – wouldn’t that make you happy?
All children are guaranteed the right to education
After abolishing its army in 1948, Costa Rica funneled funds into its public education and national health system, producing some of Latin America’s healthiest and best-educated individuals. Furthermore, the nation’s high level of education helped close the gender gap. According to the World Economic Forum gender gap index, Costa Rican women now enjoy more equality than their United States counterparts.
With so much in its favor, it’s easy to see why many call Costa Rica paradise. A lucky some call it home – will you be one of them?
Top 5 Reasons I Love Costa Rica Living
Sep 2nd
Green and beautiful Costa Rica
Everyone has their own reasons for falling in love with Costa Rica. The uncomplicated lifestyle, natural beauty and low cost of living always top the list. For me, these five factors of Costa Rica living have improved the overall quality of my life. Don’t you want to discover if Costa Rica is right for you?
1. Costa Rica is one of the greenest, cleanest countries in the world. Its progressive environmental policies and eco-friendly practices are evident everywhere you look. Did you know that Costa Rica is one of the few countries worldwide to actually reverse deforestation? I love waking up to the pure country air lightly scented with orange blossoms in our Central Valley home.
Top 5 Reasons I Love Costa Rica Living
This is the pura vida
2. ?Costa Ricans are some of the happiest people on Earth! According to the Happy Planet Index (HPI), an independent think-tank, “Costa Ricans report the highest life satisfaction in the world and have the second-highest average life expectancy of the Americas.” Now, if that doesn’t speak for itself, I don’t know what does. Friendly, gregarious, welcoming, patient and happy: the people of Costa Rica are its greatest national treasure.
3. It’s easy to live and eat healthfully. Whether you’re an organic foodie, vegan or all-out carnivore, you’re bound to treat your body better in this tropical nation. Believe it or not, it’s actually more economical to eat healthy foods than junk in Costa Rica. Twenty US dollars will buy you a week’s worth of gorgeous fruits and veggies, fresh tuna and mahi mahi cost less than $3 a pound, and many Costa Rican towns have yet to see a McDonald’s or Pizza Hut. Roadside “fast food” snacks include farm-fresh fruits, agua de pipa (coconut juice), and tart slices of green mango.
I’ll always be a beach girl at heart
4. The great outdoors! The moment you set foot in Costa Rica all you want to do is explore. Mountains, rivers, volcanoes, cloud forest, rainforest, and more than 800 miles of sublime beaches: it’s all accessible in this tiny country. One of the great things about living – and traveling – in Costa Rica is its compact size, enabling you to traverse varied terrains in short amounts of time. In less than four hours, I can go from chilly cloud forest to sultry beaches, and still have time to relax and enjoy my day.
5. Easy acclimation with little culture shock. I lived in South East Asia for years and always struggled with the language and feeling like I truly “belonged.” Learning Spanish was a breeze compared to Thai, and for the linguistically challenged, you have a built-in community of English-speaking locals and expats. In many ways, Costa Rica is much like the States in terms of access to modern amenities, but it’s the peaceful lifestyle coupled with a true appreciation for family and friends that sets this country apart. For me, this is the “pura vida,” and it will keep me rooted here for many years to come.
