Beyond the pursuit of happiness lies the bigger question of how to sustain it.

Read the article here:  10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy

Sarah van Gelder, executive editor of Yes!Magazine says that one of her favorite things about this issue was learning about Colin Beavan,  the New York resident who calls himself "No Impact Man."

Beavan's article describes how he and his family observed a gift-less Christmas. You can read his blog here.

Researchers say thankful people tend to be happy people. Click here to take a test to find out your gratitude score. 

 The staff of Yes! has also prepared this Resource Guide for Sustainable Happiness.

Alternatives to technologies that depend on fossil fuels are all around us, modeled in the natural world, and studied in the new field of bio-mimicry.

Janine Benyus, author of Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, is founder of The Biomimicry Institute, whose mission is to nurture and grow a global community of people, who are learning from, emulating, and conserving life's genius to create a healthier, more sustainable planet. 

As one delves deeper into biomimicry, Benyus says there are three levels of analysis:

There are instances of complex natural processes that could be adapted for human use all over the planet, Benyus says. African ant mounds are just one interesting example of what is being called "enabling technology."

SMIT GROW is an example of biomimicry. By creating solar panels in the shape of leaves, to gather energy from the sun and wind. Find out more here.

When you look at the global ecosystem, Benyus explains, humans as a species are akin to weeds, gobbling up resources with scant thought for their long-term presence where they have taken root.

Janine Benysus will be a keynote speaker at the annual Bioneers Conference, October 16^th-20^th, at the Marin Center in San Rafael. For more information, click here. There is a full roster of presenters here , and a detailed conference schedule here.

Is believing in gods harmful to humankind? Sunsara Taylor believes it is.

Throughout human history cultures around the globe have developed complex systems of gods and religion. But Taylor questions the idea that these beliefs grow out of an innate aspect of human nature.

You can read an excerpt from Away With All Gods here. Or scan the table of Contents here .

From the author's website: Bob Avakian is the leader of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA, and he is more than that. He's an innovative and critical thinker who has taken Marxism to a new place; he's a provocative commentator on everything from basketball to religion, doo-wop music to science; and he's a pit-bull fighter against oppression who's kept both his solemn sense of purpose and his irrepressible sense of humor.

French filmmaker, Laurent Le Gall , focused his work on Petaluma artist David Best,who is known worldwide for the temples he has designed and built at Burning Man. Voyage to Utopia tracks the creation and response to Best's Temple of Honor at the 2003 Burning Man. See two different views of the Temple below.

 To see more of David Best's creations, click here.

For more information about filmmaker Laurent Le Gall, click here .

 Burning Man: Voyage In Utopia premieres in Sebastopol on September 18^th. To purchase tickets, click here .