GPI Atlantic

"We measure what we value." GPI Atlantic is a non-profit research organization committed to the development of the Genuine Progress Index (GPI) - a new measure of sustainability, wellbeing and quality of life. The Genuine Progress Index is an alternative to the practice of equating progress with economic growth alone. The GPI links the economy with... social and environmental variables to create a more comprehensive and accurate measurement tool. The GPI, for example, treats pollution and crime as costs rather than gains to the economy. That might seem obvious, but pollution clean-up costs and the purchase of burglar alarms in response to crime waves actually contribute to "growth" in the Gross Domestic Product, our most common measure of progress. As well, the GPI assigns explicit value to health, security, volunteer work, environmental quality and other assets. By contrast, the GDP can grow even as poverty, insecurity, and inequality increase, while the gap between rich and poor widens, and while the earth's resources are depleted. Conventionally, progressive solid waste-resource management systems like Nova Scotia's look costly because of the increased operating costs associated with extra curbside pickups and running the province's recycling, composting, and advanced waste processing systems. But conventional accounting systems ignore a wide range of hidden benefits - like reduced greenhouse gas and pollutant emissions, extended landfill life, new jobs, and energy savings from recycling. They also ignore hidden costs, like the extra time it takes people to sort their waste, and the costs of operating the bottle refund, tire recycling, and stewardship programs. The GPI full-cost accounting methods can provide a more comprehensive assessment of true costs and benefits, and thereby help guide policy more effectively to improve social wellbeing. Our core mission is the development of a demonstration index consisting of 22 components - of which solid waste-resource management is one - focusing on the province of ...Read More