WHOLE-SYSTEM HEALTH INDEX

A concept for a holistic evaluation system for the whole-systems health status of societies, as well as for measuring the whole-system health impacts of policies and organizations, goods and services.  

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As we put the healing and regeneration of the planet and all its inhabitants as our shared priority, it is essential that we develop relevant holistic indicators and measurement tools for the health and vitality of our societies and ecosystems.

 

These indicators and tools need to take into account the interdependence of human health with the health of our ecosystems. They need to move beyond a human-centered reductionist approach to measuring isolated parameters of human wealth and wellness to prioritizing indicators that recognize the inherent interconnectedness between individual and collective wellness, for now and for future generations. They need to take into account not only local indicators of wellness, but also the impact of the community (local/regional) on the global human and non-human environment.

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When we collectively put whole-system health as our shared priority, we insist on governance and policies that begin with restoring the foundations of life to their natural state and ensuring that all humans and all living beings have access to pure water, clean air, healthy land, vitalizing nourishment, shelter, emotional and physical safety as well as the resources needed for them to evolve into their full potential.

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A Whole-System Health Index would begin with measures around these foundational criteria for Life. It would also measure the impact of products and practices on these basic Life parameters.

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The Index would be developed in partnership with the diverse existing initiatives that are leading the fields of certifying social and ecological responsibility.