Governor O’Malley Launches Genuine Progress Indicator
Innovative tool will allow Marylanders to more accurately measure prosperity and standard of living
Annapolis, MD (February 3, 2010) - Governor Martin O’Malley today
launched the Maryland Genuine
Progress Indicator (GPI), an innovative online tool that will allow
policymakers and citizens to more accurately measure the State’s standard of
living by including indicators of social and environmental health along with
traditional economic calculations.
“To give us a truer measure of our prosperity, we are launching the most
comprehensive application of the Genuine Progress Indicator any state has ever
undertaken,” said Governor O’Malley. “In addition to measuring our economic
standard of living, this tool allows us to also factor in environmental and
social costs of problems like air pollution, crime and income inequality, as
well as the values of benefits like clean water, education and volunteerism.
These indicators will help us make more informed, sustainable policy choices for
many years to come.”
Developed by experts from several State agencies, the Governor’s Office and the
University of Maryland, the GPI is designed to complement – but not replace –
traditional, strictly economic measurements such as the Gross State Product.
“The GPI will give us a more complete picture as we strive for a sustainable
future and grow a stronger economy that will not negatively impact our natural
resources or the quality of life of our fellow Marylanders,” said Department of
Natural Resources Secretary John Griffin, whose agency led the program’s
development. “The next challenge will be how we use this new tool to inform
priorities in investment and policy making.”
The Maryland GPI is based on models developed and published by academic
institutions as a means for nations, states, and local governments to more
accurately measure their standard of living by taking into account economic,
social, and environmental well being. To date, several nations and states have
calculated their GPIs, but no state has developed and applied it as a public,
web-based tool as Maryland does today.
“For far too long we have counted what can be measured in dollars as
contributing to our welfare, and we have portrayed it as the goal of business
and government to increase the total sum of that value,” said Dr. Matthias Ruth,
Director of the Center for Integrative Environmental Research at the University
of Maryland that developed the GPI calculations and modeling efforts.
“Obviously, since some of the damages to our health, our communities, and our
environment show up as cost, they get lumped into that dollar total, giving the
faulty impression of progress. The calculation of a Genuine Progress Indicator
begins to correct the picture of how well-off we actually are. It counts as
positive that which is actually positive - time spent with family, volunteer
work in our communities, restoration of the environment, for example - and it
subtracts the negative - time spent in our cars or loss of wetlands."
The GPI incorporates 26 factors in three categories — economic, social and
natural — from the costs of crime to the costs of ozone depletion.
“The pure economic activity stemming from the explosive growth of urban sprawl
positively contributes to the GSP,” explained project leader Sean McGuire of
DNR’s Office for a Sustainable Future. “Yet, along with sprawl come increased
commuting time, increased traffic congestion, land use conversion, and
automobile impacts. And those negative impacts are not included in current
economic gauges. In short, just because money is exchanging hands within an
economy does not necessarily mean that citizens are enjoying sustainable
prosperity.”
Internationally noted author, entrepreneur, and conservationist Paul Hawken
applauded Governor O’Malley’s vision in developing the GPI.
“Maryland's Genuine Progress Indicator will allow citizens to create true
security and lasting prosperity. A growing economy is always referred to as an
unalloyed good, but we do not want to grow crime, environmental degradation, or
disease,” said Hawken. “What we want to grow are abilities, opportunities,
natural resources, education, security, happiness, and possibility. By
distinguishing true needs from what is not desirable, Maryland has made a
significant leap into an economy that will benefit this and future generations."
Maryland presents the GPI as an educational tool designed to allow the public
and policymakers to better balance the costs and benefits of decisions on how to
use the resources available to them.
“A strong economy, a clean environment and a healthy citizenry go hand in hand;
none can be a true measure of success without supporting the other two,” said
Governor O’Malley. “The GPI will help us ensure that our economic growth will
not come at the cost of our natural resources, and that they both support our
progress toward a sustainable future and a better qualify of life for all
Maryland families."
The GPI joins a host of innovative interactive tools – such as GreenPrint,
BayStat and the Maryland Green Registry – that have been developed for Maryland
citizens under Governor O’Malley’s Smart, Green & Growing Initiative.
The GPI is available at the State’s Smart, Green & Growing website,
www.green.maryland.gov/mdgpi/.
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2009, is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 467,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries, and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic, and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov