globalbriefs
News and resources to inspire concerned citi-
zens to work together in building a healthier,
stronger society that works for all.
Online Swap
Cashless Bartering
Soars via Internet
Match-ups
Websites and businesses
promoting cash-free
transactions are boom-
ing from New Hamp-
shire to New Zealand,
as people find new
ways to make ends meet
through bartering and swapping just about any product
or service. A spokesman for
Craigslist.org, a classified
advertising service, says that bartering on the site has
doubled in the past year.
Ron Whitney, of the International Reciprocal Trade
Association, reports that about $12 billion worth of
business-to-business bartering is transacted each year
around the world and that more than 250,000 U.S.
businesses participated last year. Now, individuals are
following suit via websites and community networks.
Vida Dulce
Costa Rica Tops Happy Planet Index
Costa Ricans report
the highest life satis-
faction in the world,
enjoy the second-
highest average life
expectancy and are
a hair’s-breadth from
the goal of living in a
country that consumes
no more than its fair
share of Earth’s natural
resources.
The Central American winner led the 143 countries
surveyed annually by Britain’s New Economics Founda-
tion. Nine of the top 10 spots featured Latin American
nations. Results also showed that the U.S. populace was
greener and happier 20 years ago than it is today.
The study covers 99 percent of the world’s popula-
tion. “We desperately need a new compass to guide us,”
says Nic Marks, founder of the foundation’s center for
well-being.
10 Phoenix
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