Blue Zones Project targets local longevity

Everyone wants to live a longer, healthier life, but figuring out how to actually do it -- and then sticking to it -- can be much harder. A transformative new initiative is trying to remove that guesswork entirely by building wellness directly into the daily environment. Rather than asking individuals to rely on willpower alone, the Blue Zones Project targets the surroundings people navigate every day. Many people recognize the concept from the Netflix documentary series Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, which explores regions around the world where people naturally live longer, healthier lives. The Blue Zones Project brings those proven principles directly to local neighborhoods. When researchers first evaluated health metrics across Pierce County, they uncovered a stark reality about our home. "When Blue Zones came into the area and did a discovery of Pierce County, it was discovered that Parkland and Spanaway had the lowest life expectancy than anywhere else in the county," said Queena Tupou, Executive Director of Blue Zones Project Parkland-Spanaway. "And so from there, that was how Parkland and Spanaway was selected as the community." To change our community's narrative, Tupou and her team came together with community leaders to build a roadmap for real, lasting change. By partnering with schools, local businesses, grocery stores, faith-based organizations, and workplaces, the project shapes surroundings so healthy options feel natural and accessible. So what that looks like in practice in Parkland-Spanaway: "We take the four core values—which are eating wisely, moving, connecting, and purpose—and we apply that into the community through three pillars: people, places, and policy," Tupou said. Whether it is improving local park trails to encourage movement, enhancing school nutrition, or strengthening municipal policy to support pedestrian safety, these environmental tweaks add up. Healthy surroundings naturally strengthen social ties and foster civic pride across our district. As local partners hit their targets, Parkland-Spanaway edges closer to a historic milestone. "That has been the ultimate goal, and we have to show that through meeting all of our individual goals that were set locally with our partners and with Blue Zones National," Tupou said. "We will be successful because that's just how my team works, and we'll be the first Blue Zone of Pierce County."