October 2019

What it means to be a Blue Zones Community

Blue Zones are specific areas, across the world, where the residents enjoy the happiest, healthiest, and longest lives. Their immediate environment supports their lifestyle choices and well-being.

At its most basic, the Blue Zones Project is a community well-being improvement initiative designed to change the way people experience the world around them. Because healthier environments naturally nudge people toward healthier choices, the Blue Zones Project focuses on influencing the area close to home in which people spend 90 percent of their lives. That area and that environment dictates how easy it is to make healthy choices, or how difficult. By improving where we live, work, learn, and play, we make it easier to get up and move, eat healthy, make new friends, find a reason for being — and live longer, better.

The Blue Zones Project brings the entire community together; local residents, worksites, human services & non-profit organizations, your Community Foundation, healthcare professionals, schools, restaurants, grocery stores, and local government; to inspire this community movement that has the power to improve the quality of life for everyone. Blue Zones uses scientifically proven lessons of longevity, health, and happiness to boost the well-being of an entire community. Read more