Albert Lea students will soon have the opportunity to take part in Blue Zones founder Dan Buettner’s upcoming quest to Icaria, Greece, as he explores what could possibly be the last Blue Zone in the world.

Throughout the day Thursday, Buettner, a Minnesota-native, visited Albert Lea’s schools, inviting at least 1,500 students to participate via the Internet in a live expedition of the quest.

Buettner explained there will be daily content, including videos, written dispatches, photographs and other opportunities online where the students can vote to direct the team’s decisions as they unlock longevity’s secrets.

His quest begins April 20 and goes through May 1.

During his visit to Southwest Middle School Thursday, Buettner explained he has traveled all over the world and thus far identified four Blue Zones, or areas where people live the longest, most-fulfilling lives. He’s learned that all of those people, no matter where they live, all follow certain simple principles that put them on a path to a longer life.

He explained many of the characteristics he’s found that the people in each Blue Zone have.

In Sardinia, Italy, the people live in an environment where it’s easy to move, he said. They do exercise without thinking of it.

Instead of going home to watch their televisions at night, they build their social circles. They also have a different attitude toward aging, among other reasons, he said.

In Okinawa, Japan, the second Blue Zone, the people have the longest and healthiest life expectancy in the world, Buettner said. There are five times as many centenarians.

How is this so?

The people there live off of a plant-based diet, eating lots of food made of tofu and beans. Before every meal, they say three words — “hari hachi bu” — that reminds them to stop eating when they’re 80 percent full.

Also, when Okinawans are 5, their parents match them with a handful of other 5-year-old children, he said. That group meets together often and travels through life together. They are there for the good times and the bad.

He also pointed out that Okinawans believe in knowing what they’re good at and sharing those talents.

“That’s what gets them out of bed every day,” he said.

In Loma Linda, Calif., the third Blue Zone, the women live an average of nine years longer than the average American woman, and the men live an average of 11 years longer than the average American man.

Loma Linda residents mostly are members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and they eat mostly a plant-based diet and avoid smoking and drinking, Buettner said. They take their Sabbath seriously, using that time once a week to focus on their God, their families and healthy activities such as hiking and eating right. They also volunteer and socialize often with each other.

The fourth Blue Zone is in Costa Rica, he said.

There the people eat a diet of fortified corn and beans, have a family focus, live in a dry climate, have social networks and have a strong sense of purpose, among other characteristics.

These four locations all have several things in common.

In each place the people move naturally, they have the right outlook, they eat wisely and connect with others around them, Buettner said. They put their families first, belong to a faith-based community and find good people to associate with.

He said he thinks there will be many of the same characteristics found in the people of Icaria, Greece.

Thirteen-year-old Danielle Hunter said she’d never thought about the reasons people live longer lives.

“I think it’s really interesting, and I think we can do it if we try,” Hunter said of Albert Lea someday becoming a Blue Zone.

Thirteen-year-old Cody Scherff said he enjoyed watching Buettner share about people from each of the Blue Zones who were active.

“I thought it was pretty neat,” Scherff said.

To give students a visual of how health in the United States is different than in some of these Blue Zones, Buettner asked all of the students to stand up in front of the bleachers they were sitting on.

Once all the students were standing, he asked about one-fourth of them to sit down. Those students represented the percentage of people in this country who would die of cancer, he said.

Then, he asked another one-fourth of the students to sit down. Those students, plus the students already seated, represented the percentage of people in this country who would die of cancer or heart disease, Buettner said.

Then, he asked a third group of students to sit down. Those students, plus those already seated, represented the percentage of people in this country who would die of cancer, heart disease or obesity-related problems, he said.

The small number of students who remained standing would be the portion who would avoid heart disease and cancer and who would stay lean, he said.

But in Blue Zones, these percentages are very different.

Chris Chalmers, local co-chairman of the local Blue Zones project, said he thought Buettner’s presentations were well received by the students throughout the day.

“We found their enthusiasm refreshing,” Chalmers said.

Many of the students asked questions, and it was fun to see their excitement, he said.

Buettner, who is an Emmy Award-winning documentary producer, has made appearances on shows such as “Late Show with David Letterman,” “Good Morning America,” “Primetime Live,” “Oprah” and “Today” for his research on longevity.

He describes his encounters in the Blue Zones in a book titled “The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer from the People Who Have Lived the Longest.”

Read the Tribune’s story about Buettner’s talk with the general public.