It looks like Disneyland is no longer the happiest place on earth. According to Nicholas Kristof, a reporter from the New York Times, and various census bureaus around the world, Costa Ricans are the happiest people. Happiness is subjective and very hard to measure of course, but I’ll venture a guess and say that it has something to do with national values which influence government spending. This tiny Central American nation has used its strong environmental conscience to bolster the $1.92 billion/year tourism industry, pull itself out of poverty, and use money that could otherwise be spent on the military (of which there is none) to help citizens protect their land. It looks like, for the most part, Costa Ricans are relatively financially stable, have clean water, do not suffer the same health problems caused by environmental pollution that so many others elsewhere face, and can access pristine beaches and forests all year round—no wonder they’re happy!

Costa Ricans have turned their precious rainforest ecosystems into an economic asset—not through a cash cow mentality as so many others have done by bulldozing natural habitats and replacing them with casinos, but through ecotourism.

Costa Rica has made a dramatic turnaround from its banana plantation days when the government allowed 80% of their rainforests to be destroyed under pressure from Western businessmen. Since then, a national park system has been established and the government has actually paid farmers and indigenous communities to preserve forests. With government money, Costa Rican agricultural workers have been able to reverse deforestation, thus doubling the amount of forests over the course of 20 years. 95% of the nations’ energy comes from renewable resources. 25% of their land is considered protected natural habitat (compared to 4.71% in the U.S.) I can dig up a dozen more statistics along these lines, but the point is:

this new eco-sensitive outlook has allowed Costa Rica to become a model of environmental stewardship. It is one of the few countries that has figured out how to tie environmental growth to economic growth.

That is to say, you can’t overly exploit the environment for monetary gain because nature isn’t free for anyone to do what they will with it. A national valuation of eco-responsibility has fostered a conscientious and appreciative attitude toward their natural resources that has had a lot to do with their economic upswing.

Of course, it isn’t all rainbows and sunshine. Costa Rica is still suffering in many ways, but the economic growth it has experienced can partially be attributed to their thriving eco-tourism industry. So if you’re already thinking about your next vacation (I know I am), why not have an earth-friendly good time (uh oh, I’m starting to sound like a brochure) in Costa Rica? I genuinely believe that the rest of us can learn a valuable lesson about the positive outcomes of preservation and social programs from this unique nation.