The Pursuit of Happiness; Finding a Job in Sustainability Michael A Kane This Way to Sustainability Conference March 6, 2014

What we will do today?  What is happiness and why is it important?  How are sustainability and happiness related?  If I want to work in sustainability and that will make me happy, how do I find a job?  Physical takeaways from today’s talk

Why should you listen to me?  Four years ago created the Church of Abnormal Acceptance and it’s Ministry of Happiness Blog  Over 20 years working with students on career path attainment  Eight years as an academic advisor at the University of TN  Three years as a MESA Director  Educational background in science education & ecology  Over 20 years experience working in sustainability

What is happiness and why is it important? What is Happiness? What makes people happy?

How are sustainability and happiness related? Three prongs of sustainability: economy, environment, social equity – happiness allows us through measures like the Gross National Happiness measure to get our arms around the social equity component of sustainability We believe that the sustainability movement must embrace the concept of happiness as a major focus. In fact, there are strong parallels between happiness and environmental sustainability; both advocate for the fact that life is more than just about money, and that relationships with other people and the environment matter. ~ Chirapon Wangwongwiroj – University of Michigan (AASHE 2014)

GNH is an index function of the total average per capita of the following measures: Economic Wellness: debt, avg income to consumer price index ratio, income distribution Environmental Wellness: environmental metrics such as pollution, noise and traffic Physical Wellness: physical health metrics such as severe illnesses Mental Wellness: usage of antidepressants and rise/decline of psychotherapy patients Workplace: jobless claims, job change, workplace complaints and lawsuits Social Wellness: discrimination, safety, divorce rates, crime rates Political Wellness: the quality of local democracy, individual freedom, and foreign conflicts.

Happiness as Correlate of Sustainable Behavior: A Study of Pro-Ecological, Frugal, Equitable and Altruistic Actions That Promote Subjective Wellbeing ~ Victor Corral-Verdugo Human Ecology Review Sustainable behavior significantly influenced a “happiness” factor – in other words doing things that were good for sustainability made people feel better about themselves

If sustainability efforts are themselves going to be sustainable over the long haul, sustainability needs to connect with a vision of the good life. ~ Dan Farber, UC Berkeley

If I want to work in sustainability and that will make me happy, how do I find a job? You already have identified your interest How do you get a job – education, experience, passion and how you stand out Job Search Resources sustainability-a-resource-list/

Physical takeaways from today’s talk  Job resources link  resource-list/  5 Things you can do immediately to make you happier 1. Take a walk outside 2. Reach out to someone you care about 3. Rid yourself of a nagging task 4. Do a good deed (random act of kindness) 5. Smile  Shameless plug: Read the Ministry of Happiness Blog

Thank You!!! Michael A Kane Reverend Kane