In this Environments For Aging podcast, senior editor Anne DiNardo speaks with Nick Buettner, executive producer of Blue Zones Expeditions.
Buettner has traveled the globe to key places where people are living long, productive lives. Called Blue Zones, these five areas of the world (Ikaria, Greece; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Okinawa, Japan; Sardinia, Italy; and Loma Linda, Calif.) are demographically confirmed places where people have the greatest life expectancy.
He’ll share his travel experiences, what he’s learned from these populations, and how those lessons can influence the design of senior living communities during his keynote presentation at the 2014 Environments for Aging Conference, held May 3-6, in Anaheim, Calif.
“Staying young and living long is mostly a function of your environment, and the good news is that, to a great extent, we each have control over that environment,” he says. “In the Blue Zones, people live in places where walking is the main means of transportation; where they eat locally grown, organic produce; and where there have established social norms that bring people together in supportive groups or clubs.”
Continue to the podcast below to hear what Buettner has to say about longevity and why the common traits among Blue Zones populations, such as sense of purpose, can inspire better design ideas.
For more on my interview with Buettner, check out the Q&A in the EFA’s spring issue or read the article, “EFA Conference Keynote: Built Environments Should Encourage Healthy, Active Options.”
To learn more about the upcoming EFA conference, including session descriptions and registration details, visit EFAConference.com.
