5 Ways to Make Your Community Happier

5 Ways to Make Your Community Happier

A teacher at heart, I constantly want to be improving myself and the community around me. Author E.B White said it best “torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day.”  I see progress as an obtainable and hopeful goal, constantly striving for it. However, it’s become a necessity to slow down and actually enjoy the fruits of one’s labor. Focusing my “off the clock” time on areas that bring me joy has been an exciting endeavor for me this year.

Surprisingly, your location is a major factor to your own happiness. In the book The Blue Zones of Happiness author Dan Buettner discovers the happiest places in the world, and identifies the commonalities. What’s interesting is that it doesn’t take that much effort to make a community happier and in turn healthier.

Buettner writes that there are 8 key traits to the happiest communities. You can read about all 8 in the book, but I’ve narrowed it down to 5 traits that you can work on improving in your community today.

5 Ways to Make Your Community Happier

5 Ways to Make Your Community Happier (Buettner).

Make a Healthy Lifestyle Normal

Create ways to encourage a healthy lifestyle for everyone in the community. Buettner suggests limiting the amount of fast food restaurants, providing clean water, and treating for mental health. Make unhealthy options as inconvenient as possible. If interested, I wrote some tips on how to eat more whole foods here, and you can encourage others to get outside, walk, cook at home, grow a garden, play a sport, and even turn the screen off. 

Walk Instead of Drive 

Happier cities “have found ways to encourage walking and biking over traveling with cars” (147). Shout out to my home state city Minneapolis, Minnesota, which is #22 on the happiest places in the United States list (Bowen). One of the reasons Minneapolis is so happy is because they’ve made travel by bicycle easy for people, even during the rough Minnesota winters! Here in Vancouver there are mandatory bike lanes created for each new street being made. However, biking isn’t that popular, and you’re sometimes left feeling unsafe sharing the road. We could improve this by inspiring more people to bike or walk, and creating designated bike paths on existing roads.

Create and Utilize Beautiful Spaces 

Property values actually go up in the surrounding areas when beauty is prioritized. One of the reasons we chose to live where we live is due to the access to multiple parks walking or biking distance away from our house. We like to get out in nature every day and even though we live within a city, we manage this on foot. Plus, it gives another opportunity to meet our neighbors, which positively affects happiness as well.

Lead Others 

Creating a leadership committee that will put high quality of life at the forefront of community initiatives is essential. You can’t just talk about how we should have more green spaces, and better public transportation. You have to actually act on it, and form leadership partners who will motivate others. 

Measure It

Find ways to measure quality of life, so that improvements can be made.  Maybe it’s a healthcare measurement, obesity rates, longevity or even literacy scores. You want to show people the progress that has been made, which provides further motivation and future community involvement.

Changes You Can Make Personally for a Happier Community

After reading the book, I couldn’t help but make some changes in my life. Here are a few ideas if you’re interested in optimizing your current location for ultimate happiness.  

Make an Effort to Meet Your Neighbors 

Learn How Your Location Affects Your Happiness

I used to exit my car and swiftly walk inside my house. I now see the benefit of knowing my neighbors not only for my own happiness, but also for times of emergencies. Your neighbors will be your first responders if a natural disaster hits. The program “Map Your Neighborhood” urges you to meet your neighbors because neighborhoods that are prepared for disasters save lives. Plus, “contributing as an individual and working together as a team helps develop stronger communities and improve the quality of life in the community” (Map Your Neighborhood).

Walk or Bike More 

I try to walk or bike more. We live close to many parks and there are days where I don’t even need to drive anywhere. I take full advantage of this. We even organized childcare with our friend and neighbor, which allows for a nice walk outside instead of sitting in a car. 

Get Involved in Your Neighborhood 

Last year I decided I needed to get more involved in my community, outside of a school system. I participated in a community development program. My classmates inspired and motivated me. If you have a community leadership program in your area, seek it out. You may just become more involved and happier. 

Only Buy Whole Foods 

If I don’t buy it, I don’t eat it. I have made it inconvenient for my family to eat processed foods. It didn’t take long for it to turn into a pretty permanent habit. Now if we want a treat, it has to be a special occasion, or we make it ourselves. You can read more about a whole foods plant based diet here. 

Final Words

Be Well – Want Less – Gain Quality

Obviously, we can’t take on all community improvements in one day, but we can make changes to our daily habits. Once we make the changes others will notice and a healthier community will be inspired. Engage in conversations about quality of life and the importance of healthy habits in a community as a whole. Conversations move ideas into action.

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Join the Discussion

What small change have you made for your family to optimize your happiness? What change are you ready to make now? 

Author

Maria Halcumb

-Maria Halcumb
B.A. in Secondary Education, English, and Physical Education
M.A. Ed. in Curriculum & Instruction and Reading Specialist

Sources

Bowen, Jon. “These Are the Happiest Cities in the United States.” 25 Of the Happiest Cities in the United States 2017, 21 Oct. 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/north-america/united-states/happiest-cities-united-states-2017/.

Buettner, Dan. BLUE ZONES OF HAPPINESS: Lessons from the Worlds Happiest People.National Geographic Soc, 2019.

Map Your Neighborhood | Washington State Military Department, www.mil.wa.gov/emergency-management-division/preparedness/map-your-neighborhood.