Dawson College will be hosting the launch event of Sustainable Happiness tonight to raise funds for the world’s first Sustainable Happiness scholarship and to announce a certificate that will be offered at Dawson College.

Partners Dawson College, CCS Community Services and the Earthvalues Institute will sponsor the pilot certificate course in May to educate a new generation of students in this field of study.

Dr. Catherine O’Brien, an associate professor in the Education Department at Cape Breton University in Nova Scotia, will speak at the event. A pioneer in this field, she defined sustainable happiness as happiness that contributes to individual, community and/global well-being without exploiting other people, the environment or future generations.

She established the world’s first university course on sustainable happiness, a course she has taught since 2009. O’Brien has found that as her students discover that their happiness and well-being are intertwined with the happiness and well-being of others and the natural environment, they readily choose to shift towards healthier, more sustainable lifestyles.