Buettner’s strategy has been to travel to areas of the world where higher than average percentages of people live past the age of 100, and investigate how they live. So far, he’s visited Okinawa, Sardinia, and Loma Linda, California.

Buettner calls these longevity hotspots “Blue Zones.” What he’s found is that the healthy habits contributing to long life include no smoking; pursuing regular workouts or periods of low-impact activity; eating only till full; consuming a diet rich in plant-based foods, low in meat and low to moderate alcohol; and finding a sense of purpose through family, friends, the church or other meaningful pursuits.

Buettner, a resident of St. Paul, has also written about his findings in the November 2005 cover story of National Geographic.

Buettner’s past expeditions have taken him around the world to unravel such mysteries as the route of Marco Polo, the collapse of the ancient Maya civilization and the fall of the Anasazi in North America. His innovative adventure learning program, known as Quest Network, has allowed people around the world to follow on the Internet while Buettner and a team of experts conduct their traveling investigations.

An avid cyclist, Buettner’s own healthy lifestyle has allowed him to set several Guinness World Records for long-distance cycling. Among his cycling accomplishments, he has led a team of cyclists on a 15,500-mile ride from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Tiera del Fuego, Argentina, as well as a 12,888-mile trek that went through the Soviet Union while it was still in existence.

Buettner spoke at ARCC’s Cambridge Campus to an audience of about 70 people. Attendees to the free event included 17 area public school science teachers who had been specially invited by the ARCC Science Faculty to come and share a dinner with Buettner prior to his talk.

For more information about options for studying science at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, call 763-433-1100.