Windward Community College is dedicated to supporting community access to educational needs for all who live and work in Koʻolaupoko. The college is also committed to improving the well-being of its employees and is the first of ten campuses in the University of Hawaiʻi System to earn Blue Zones Project Approved™ worksite designation. Blue Zones Project® is a community led well-being improvement initiative designed to make healthy choices easier through sustainable changes to the places where we live, work and play.
With the support of Chancellor Doug Dykstra, associate professor Jamie Boyd and a team of select faculty and staff, Windward CC partnered with Blue Zones Project to fulfill its mission of supporting the health and well-being of Windward Oʻahu residents and formalizing well-being efforts already underway at the campus.
“The campus is a very spiritual place where we take care of one another, the land and make strides toward sustainability. Many of our efforts align perfectly with Blue Zones Project,” said Boyd, associate professor and health programs coordinator at Windward CC. “With the guidance, support and proven methods of Blue Zones Project, we were able to embody the Blue Zones ideals of living well. We are excited to align with other communities around the country that are involved in this important movement.”
Practices to support well-being
The college achieved approved status by successfully completing the Blue Zones Project Worksite Pledge. The college adopted and supports best practices for promoting well-being, including:
- Forming walking moai teams of five to eight people who get together weekly for 10 weeks to walk before work, during lunch or after work.
- Organizing an employee led well-being advisory committee and providing a plant-based cooking demonstration for faculty and staff.
- Achieving Blue Zones Project approved status for on-campus eatery Uala Leaf Café—the first approved restaurant within the UH System.
“For Windward Community College to become the first UH college campus in the state to become Blue Zones Project approved is very significant,” said Cherie Andrade, community program manager of Blue Zones Project Koʻolaupoko. “It shows the college’s commitment to improving the health and well-being of the faculty and staff, and also its students who represent the college’s future.”
Koʻolaupoko is one of three Blue Zones Project demonstration sites in Hawaiʻi. The other two are East Hawaiʻi and North Hawaiʻi on the Big Island.
—By Bonnie Beatson
