Sweet Mango Tours is gathering a Vermont Delegation to attend the 5th International Conference on Gross National Happiness this November.

Gross National Happiness (GNH) is a framework for measuring societal progress, offered several decades ago by the King of Bhutan, that acknowledges its holistic nature and inspires the creation and application of appropriate alternatives to indicators like Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Vermonters are well aware of the limitations of GDP in terms of enhancing well-being, and are concerned by the impact of its overuse on cultures and the environment. Alternative tools exist, including GNH, the Happy Planet Index, and the Genuine Progress Indicator. Our own Gund Institute at the University of Vermont (view Gund Website) is a powerful contributor to the movement to change what we measure to better reflect societal values and to better support our pursuit of happiness.

The Vermont delegation will participate in five days of conference and tour activities in Foz du Iguacu. You will then have the option of traveling to the Future Vision Eco-Institute for three days of semi-structured, mostly self-facilitated, Vermont-focused processing and planning. In this idyllic setting, we can continue to explore GNH concepts with colleagues and begin a plan of action for Vermont, returning to the US on November 29th. Please contact us for more information or download our GNH5 Registration Form.