Who is behind the Happy Planet Index?

The Happy Planet Index is powered by a group of collaborators who believe that the twenty-first century should be defined by the pursuit of good lives that do not cost the Earth.

Hot or Cool

The Hot or Cool Institute is a public interest think tank that explores the intersection between society and sustainability. Our mission is to equip organisations, policymakers, and communities with the science to inform their decisions towards a sustainable and prosperous future, putting people and science at the centre of the sustainability transition.

We are driven by the three key principles of a sustainable civilization: Well-being and prosperity; Fairness and justice; and Living within ecological limits.

As of March 2023, Hot or Cool is responsible for updating and developing the Happy Planet Index.

Connect with Hot or Cool on LinkedIn or Twitter

Visit website

The Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll)

The Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) is the leading global coalition of organisations, alliances, movements, and individuals working together to transform key economies and ensure that decision-makers prioritise the long-term wellbeing of people and planet.

WEAll undertook the last update of the Happy Planet Index, in 2021.  This website was developed as part of that update. We would like to acknowledge WEAll’s contribution to the continuation of the Happy Planet Index.

Connect with WEAll on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter.

Visit website

The New Economics Foundation (NEF)

The New Economics Foundation (NEF) aims to create a new economy that works for people and within environmental limits. NEF launched the Happy Planet Index in 2006 and housed it until 2019.

Visit website

Nic Marks

Nic Marks is the creator of the Happy Planet Index and a recognised expert in the field of wellbeing research and undertakes innovative research in the use of well-being indicators. He founded the award-winning Centre for Wellbeing at the New Economics Foundation in 2001 and the first HPI was published in 2006.

His 2010 TED talk on the HPI has been watched over 2.5 million times. In 2012 he left NEF and founded Friday Pulse, an online people platform which helps build happy teams. He has created a weekly Happiness KPI™ so business can track and improve employee experience. He is an in-demand public speaker and regularly creates content on how to improve happiness in the workplace and in our lives. He lives near Stonehenge in the UK, with his wife and various animals. 

Connect with Nic on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Visit website

Saamah Abdallah

Saamah Abdallah has worked on the Happy Planet Index since the first edition in 2006, developed the methodology for calculating the Index, and leads all the data aspects of the project.

Aside from the HPI, Saamah has worked for 17 years on the application of wellbeing science to policy and the promotion of alternative indicators of progress. In 2016, Saamah won an award from the Community Indicators Consortium as Emerging Leader in the field of Community Indicators. Saamah joined the team at the Hot or Cool Institute in March 2023, and is responsible for future developments of the Happy Planet Index.

Saamah has just completed a PhD in Communications Science and Political Psychology at the University of Erfurt in Germany. He lives in a small post-industrial town in the midst of the forests of Eastern Germany.

Saamah’s research can be found on ResearchGate.

Connect with Saamah on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Visit website

James & Andrew

Andrew is a product designer and front end developer with experience creating websites in a wide range of industries and sectors. James is a full stack developer who specialises in creating digital experiences for charities and NGOs. Andrew and James work together as part of a collective of designers, developers and digital specialists. We are passionate about creating accessible and sustainable digital experiences that help small charities and big NGOs bring about positive social change.

Visit website

Get in touch

You can reach the Happy Planet Index team at happyplanet@hotorcool.org

Get in touch

Share the Happy Planet Index

Use our promotion pack to start the conversation: “How can we live good lives that don’t cost the Earth?”

Happy Planet Index promotion pack