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HPU President John Gotanda (center) joined by members of the Blue Zones Project and HPU staff.
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HPU staff celebrate HPU being the latest Blues Zones Project Approved Worksite.
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Sharky rides the blender bike at the celebration event at Aloha Tower Marketplace.
In August 2023, HPU received the exciting news that it had earned the title “Blue Zones Project Approved Worksite,” marking a milestone in the University's commitment to employee well-being and health.
The celebration event Aloha Tower Marketplace included a group of distinguished vendors in attendance that included the Blue Zones Project, HMSA, Kaiser Permanente, and Biki.
HPU’s wellness committee, A Healthy HPYou!, supports faculty and staff well-being by organizing opportunities like onsite massages, sleep challenges, an annual employee appreciation event, and more.
To celebrate this achievement, HPU hosted an event on October 23 at HPU’s Aloha Tower Marketplace (ATM) that included a recognition ceremony. HPU President John Gotanda kicked off the afternoon by delivering a keynote session to HPU faculty and staff, focusing on the power of collaboration, the theme of the seventh annual HPU Professional Development Conference.
“Today, we are excited to celebrate HPU’s recent designation as the latest Blue Zones Project Approved Worksite and are emphasizing the profound commitment to our faculty and staff’s well-being,” Gotanda said. “Collaborating with the Blue Zones Project, HPU embarks on a journey to nurture a healthier and happier Hawai‘i, instilling sustainable well-being practices for the benefit of our entire community.”
After the Blue Zones Project recognition ceremony concluded, the celebration event began at ATM’s center atrium with a group of distinguished vendors in attendance that included the Blue Zones Project, HMSA, Kaiser Permanente, and Biki. The event was a great success that saw HPU students, staff, and faculty celebrating the important milestone.
The Blue Zones Project, brought to Hawai‘i through an innovative sponsorship by HMSA, is a community-led well-being improvement initiative aimed at making healthy choices easier through permanent changes to lifestyle, environment, policy, and social networks. This program was established in 2010, inspired by Dan Buettner, a National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-selling author who identified five regions of the world, known as Blue Zones, with the highest concentration of people living to 100 years or older.
