Spearheading Maryland’s efforts to engage and coordinate with other states on Maryland’s Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) – a measure of statewide wellbeing − Governor Martin O’Malley hosted a summit with leaders from across the nation today in Baltimore. Maryland is the national leader in the development and use of the GPI, recently announcing that new, 2011 data shows a 2 percent increase over 2010.
“We are at a new era of American progress and prosperity,” said Governor O’Malley. “We have within our power the ability to achieve a rising standard of living, with better educated children, healthier people, more affordable college, a more highly skilled workforce, safer neighborhoods, a more resilient, secure homeland, and a more sustainable balance with nature. With resources such as the GPI, we can continue to make better, more informed choices for a brighter future.”

This summit, Beyond the Great Recession and Beyond GDP: Measuring and Sustaining What Matters in the 21st-Century Economy, brought GPI practitioners and state representatives together to explore how other state governments could apply their own GPI. The summit was funded by the Town Creek Foundation through a grant to Demos, a national organization which combines research, policy development and advocacy to influence public debate and catalyze change.

The GPI is one of a host of innovative, interactive tools ― including GreenPrint, BayStat, StormwaterPrint and the Maryland Green Registry ― that have been developed for Maryland citizens under Governor O’Malley’s Smart, Green & Growing Initiative. The GPI, along with a helpful video that explains the indicator, is available on the State’s Smart, Green & Growing website at green.maryland.gov/mdgpi.

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