Sustainable Happiness ─ Live Simply, Live Well, Make a Difference

We’re bombarded by messages telling us that more, bigger, and better things are the keys to happiness. So we pile up the stuff, pile on the hours, and end up exhausted and depressed on a planet full of trash. Yes! Magazine has been exploring the meaning of real happiness for 18 years, and in this utterly delightful book, they bring together what thoughtful researchers and thoughtful people have uncovered about achieving happiness that lasts. Each chapter takes a different approach and tackles a different aspect of happiness, but all lead to the same conclusion: it isn’t money or things that make us happy, it’s the depth of our relationships, the quality of our communities, the contribution we make through the work we do, our ability to enjoy a healthy natural world. The authors discuss the ways that our stories about happiness and well-being define the goals of individuals and society and offer insights readers can use in their own lives to enhance their long-term well-being.

Sarah van Gelder is the cofounder and editor in chief of YES! Magazine and YesMagazine.org, both dedicated to building a more just, sustainable, and compassionate world. Sarah frequently speaks and is interviewed on radio and television on leading-edge innovations that show that not only is another world possible, it is being created.