Living in a sustainable community can lengthen your life!

Can a community transform itself in 2 years to reverse negative health outcomes, by changing city policies and budgets, restaurant menus, worksite wellness practices, schools, and even individuals' sense of purpose and social circles? Yes! Already seven communities across the United States are implementing the Blue Zones Project by Healthways. In a matter of months, not years, thousands of citizens and leaders across all sectors get involved making healthy choices easy choices. This approach is based on the lessons of the longest living communities in the world, called Blue Zones areas. Ten well-coordinated and research-backed strategies can lead to measurable improvements in well-being and longevity. The recommended practices include adopting Complete Streets policies and projects, creating safe routes to schools and walking schools buses, and other efforts to change the environment. The work started in 2009 with the AARP/Blue Zones Project and now is scaling to serve communities across the US.