Blue Zone AmeriCorps*Volunteer in Service to America at MSU Center for Community & Economic Development

Within Ingham County, Michigan, a nexus of low-income population census tracts and high social vulnerability, there are nine opportunity zones and a “level of vulnerability” score of medium to high on the Health and Place Index (Agency for Toxic Substance and Disease Registry, 2020). The Lansing region also scores particularly high on the Michigan Environmental Justice Screen map ranging from 51 to the 100th percentile of average exposures and environmental effects multiplied by the average of sensitive populations and socioeconomic factors representing level of vulnerability to pollution and related climate change. With this as a backdrop, the Blue Zone VISTA will assess the built and natural environmental factors that influence health and lifespan. This member will also assist to document related factors of poverty, circular transition and community wealth building on health and longevity. 

Additionally, initiatives that lend themselves to “priming” the ecosystem of circular transition to healthier futures will be compiled, analyzed and assessed in regards to outcomes related to increased well-being and longevity. Across the globe, five cities including: Ikaria, Greece; Loma Linda, California; Sardinia, Italy; Okinawa, Japan, and; Nicoya, Costa Rica have been identified as original “Blue Zones”. Blue Zones are areas reflecting lifestyle habits of: “natural movement, purpose, stress-less, appropriate proportions, inclusion of antioxidants, sense of community, care-giver support, and socialization as supported by “healthy behaviors” leading to the average life space increasing by 10-12 years. 

Therefore, the Blue Zone VISTA will assess related health factors, influenced at the local and state levels within a circular transition hotspot that are known to extend life span. An example of this might be a percentage of healthy housing stock being inaccessible for those socially disadvantaged yet identified as a requirement for circular businesses’ growth. To fill this gap, nonprofit, tri-county and state partners might participate in a community benefits planning session that identifies housing needs and ultimately generates gap funding addressing the intersectionality of affordable housing as a green jobs catalyst. As a first for Michigan, the intersectionality of circular economic transitions, community benefits planning and longevity based on environmental factors influenced will be documented. This will be assessed through a lens of critical environmental justice including: 1) emphasis on intersectionality of inequalities and oppression, 2) attention to spatial and temporal scales, 3) focus on state power as reinforcing social inequalities, and 4) recognition of the indispensability of marginalized populations according to Holifield and Pellow’s “What is Critical Environmental Justice?” (Polity Press, 2018) Ultimately, this will help pave the way for a traditional Blue Zone assessment and future designation that positively impacts those marginalized populations in distressed areas who will age in place throughout Ingham County.