Congratulations University of Hawai‘i Maui College!

Faculty, staff, and administrators of University of Hawai‘i Maui College (UHMC) celebrated the college being named a Blue Zones Project Approved^™ worksite in a ceremony at the schoolʻs Pilina Building. 

Lui Hokoana, UHMC Chancellor said, “We are proud of our designation as a Blue Zones Project Approved Worksite. If we do better in our health and wellness, our student will do better in their health and wellness.”

More than 25 percent of UHMC employees signed the Blue Zones Project Personal Pledge and committed to adopting healthy habits into their lives. This pledge includes small suggestions to make healthier decisions on a daily basis.

The school celebrated this recognition with a ceremony which included celebrating staff accomplishments and various wellness stations including a cooking contest featuring local sweet potatoes, zucchini, and mushroom. Ruben De La Cruz won for Most Creative Dish for preparing Zucchini Noodle Pesto, Kealii Ballao and Melissa Yoshioka’s Curry Flatbreak with Cauliflower Crust won for Best Tasting Dish, and Joyce Yamada won for Best Presentation for her Yummy Tapioca with Sweet Potato. Judges included Karey Kapoi of HMSA, Ann Hayashi of Blue Zones Project, Kiaora Bohlool of MauiNow.com, and Lui Hokoana of UHMC.

The school achieved Blue Zones Project Approved status by successfully adopting best practices that promote employee well-being, including:

• Hosting an ergonocomic workshop to evaluate workstations and provided recommendations and solutions for healthier layouts and habits
• Organizing a Purpose Workshop that supports employees to articulate and connect with their own personal purpose
• Hosting a cooking class for employees to learn how to prepare plant-based dishes
• Creating a Blue Zones Project parking stall located further away from campus so staff can get their steps before entering campus.
• Designating a quiet space where employees can downshift or meditate
• Sharing walking routes on campus for staff’s knowledge
• Offering a Mother’s Room where mothers can tend to their babies' needs
• Organizing walking groups, a craft club, a dissertation hui, and book club
• Establishing a campus-wide tobacco-free worksite

University of Hawaiʻi Maui College is an accredited college that offers three bachelor of applied science degrees, a wide variety of associate degrees and certificates, as well as distance learning degrees through its UH Center on campus. UHMC's mission is to inspire students to develop knowledge and skills in pursuit of academic, career, and personal goals in a supportive educational environment that emphasizes community engagement, life long learning, sustainable living, Native Hawaiian culture, and global understanding. 

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Learn more at hawaii.bluezonesproject.com