There's a nifty little island about the size of Kentucky, located northwest of Britain, that could teach us a thing or two on getting along in the world.

They don't worry about global warming, being located between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic. A little warming couldn't hurt.

In 1975, when the New York Times was ferociously promoting the dangers of global cooling, the islanders didn't pay a bit of attention. They already had more glacial ice than all of Europe combined.

While the USA talks a lot about alternate fuels, the islanders have established geothermal and hydro power as energy mainstays.

When the government announced the digging of a massive new geothermal well, not a single environmentalist marched in protest.

Being so far North, you'd think the people would freeze in winter. But heat is plentiful, coming from great supplies of geothermal heat, which can also cool.

Although some of its oil is imported, geothermal wells take care of most of the electricity needs of the island's people.

While we worry about Iran and Russia controlling 47 percent of the world's natural gas reserves, the happy islanders couldn't care less. They don't use any.

Even though less than one-one hundredth percent of the land is arable and fresh fruits and veggies are scarce, people eat a healthy diet and enjoy an average life span of 80 years. (Because there aren't any permanent crops, the legislature doesn't fight over farm subsidies.)

Without much grass, there isn't much beef for McDonald burgers, but the sea is full of fish, which means antioxidant oil health instead of transfat-clogged arteries.

Although the islanders earn 15% less than Americans, the income is spread much more evenly and no one seems to live below the poverty line.

Although the island didn't win its independence until 1944, it boasts a legislature that dates back to about 900 A.D. -- which means they enjoyed democracy more than 500 years before Captain John Smith made a pass at Pocahontas.

While America is driven deeper and deeper into debt by its nearly $500 billion military budget, the islanders have no army, and therefore no defense budget. As a result, they never invade anybody.

We wring our hands over New Orleans and cannot find the will to rebuild the World Trade Center. But the islanders made a miraculous recovery from a devastating volcanic eruption in 1875 that destroyed the economy.

While we still look at cell phones as an adjunct to land lines, 96 percent of the progressive islanders communicate by cell, having reduced land line phones to a mere 63 percent of the population.

The islanders are way ahead on broadband as well. Over 26.5 percent are wired, compared to the USA at 16.8 percent.

While we are happy to grow at a 3 percent annual rate, the islanders prefer their growth to be between 3 and 5 percent.

While the USA is losing factory jobs, the island's industrial sector is growing 14 percent a year.

Tourism built around whale watching is growing rapidly. We should all visit and learn how the islanders do things so well.

The island is called The Republic of Iceland.

Then again, it has really lousy beaches.

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