From the <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5169448.stm" target="new">BBC</a>

People can live long, happy lives without consuming large amounts of the Earth's resources, a survey suggests.

The 178-nation "Happy Planet Index" lists the south Pacific island of Vanuatu as the happiest nation on the planet, while the UK is ranked 108th.

The index is based on consumption levels, life expectancy and happiness, rather than national economic wealth measurements such as GDP.

The study was compiled by think-tank the New Economics Foundation (Nef).

Size doesn't matter

One of the authors, Nef's Nic Marks, said the aim of the index was to show that well-being did not have to be linked to high levels of consumption.

"It is clear that no single nation listed in the index has got everything right, but it does reveal patterns that show how we might better achieve long and happy lives for all while living within our environmental means," Mr Marks said.

The small island state of Vanuatu is situated in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, and has a population of 209,000. Its economy is built around small-scale agriculture and tourism.

Thanks Mike Jay – as he says, must be all that Kava Kava!

<em>And of course you can read more about Vanuatu, Kava Kava and the local cargo cults in Mike's article in Strange Attractor <a href="http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/saj1contents.html">Journal One</a>!
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