Green Grin-o-meter launched

Whilst the Great Transition calls for immediate and rapid structural transformation, it has always been my belief that such transformation will not be sustainable unless there is an effort to rethink education. As we have recently been reminded with Lord Browne's proposals for higher education, for many the prime purpose of education is to produce a workforce that can maximise economic activity, the more highly-skilled the better. And yet, we all know that there is more to life than work. Education should be about developing individuals to realise their potential in all aspects of life, as workers, but also as citizens and members of society. In terms of the latter, it should be about nurturing a fair, sustainable and flourishing society.

With that in mind, we were over the moon when the sustainable development team at Caerphilly County Borough Council, together with their counterparts in Torfaen and Carmarthenshire, asked us to develop a website for children about sustainable well-being, inspired by the Happy Planet Index.

The result is the Green Grin-o-meter. It's a survey designed for children asking them about how they feel, and what they do in their day-to-day lives.  Based on their answers, it calculates scores in terms of their health, footprint and happiness, and provides advice on how they can better achieve good lives that don't cost the Earth. Rather than go on about it, the best thing is probably for you to see for yourself by having a go (and pretending to be a child, if you're not!).

The website was launched on Monday at Torfaen Sustainability Week. nef worked with Homemade Digital in its development, and it was part of a bespoke project under the Welsh Local Government Association's Sustainable Development Framework. Its tailored somewhat for Wales, and the advice in it stems from workshops run with Welsh children. But, of course, it can be used by children everywhere. One small step towards a sustainable happy world?