Dan Buettner

Dan Buettner is an internationally recognized researcher, explorer, and New York Times best-selling author. He founded Blue Zones®, a company that puts the world's best practices in longevity and well-being to work in people's lives. Dan's November 2005 National Geographic article on longevity, "The Secrets of Living Longer," was the cover story of one of the magazine's top-selling issues in history and made him a finalist for a National Magazine Award. His books The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest, Thrive: Finding Happiness the Blue Zones Way, and The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People appeared on many best-seller lists and were featured on Oprah. In 2009 Dan and his partner, AARP, applied principles of "The Blue Zones" in Albert Lea, Minnesota, and successfully raised life expectancy and lowered health care costs by some 40 percent. Dan has also worked with Healthways to implement the program in the beach cities of Los Angeles. Their strategy focuses on optimizing the health environment instead of individual behavior change. Buettner holds three world records in distance cycling and has won an Emmy Award for television production. Dan will accompany the expedition from Seattle to Greece.