During the month of April, Kapolei-'Ewa hosted a series of fun events and activities to celebrate their community becoming a Certified Blue Zones Project Community^®. More than 500 residents came out to participate in more than 17 events and activities hosted throughout the month of April. Mahalo to those who were able to join us! 

Eight schools in Kapolei-'Ewa also showed their Blue Zones pride and hosted a number of volunteer events in celebration of this achievement and National Volunteer Month. In addition, 15 individuals entered the weekly social media challenges and won prize packs from Hawai'i Bicycling League, Blue Zones Project (BZP) swag, and gift cards to Blue Zones Project Approved restaurants and grocery stores, such as Foodland Kapolei, Down to Earth, Pho & Co Restaurant, Queens Medical Centand La Tour Cafe'.

Mahalo to the community partners, organizations and leaders in Kapolei-'Ewa that helped make this possible. In addition, mahalo to HMSA for their commitment and sponsorship that made this possible. Enjoy the photos below from Kapolei-'Ewa's community celebration!

Hikes were held at Camp Palehua to encourage natural movement

Residents enjoyed making smoothies on the Blue Zones Project smoothie bike

Resident enjoyed Plogging (picking up litter while jogging/walking) together in their community

Schools in Kapolei-'Ewa hosted a number of volunteer events in celebration of Kapolei-'Ewa's Certification Celebration, Earth Day and National Volunteer Month. Pictured above is students, staff and volunteers at ‘Ewa Beach Elementary planting a school garden.

Prizes were given away each week to Kapolei-'Ewa residents for participating in this celebration 

In case you missed it, watch the Kapolei-'Ewa recap video that showcases what the community has achieved over three years together and read more about Kapolei-'Ewa's success below!

Since launching in 2017, Blue Zones Project-KE has become a revered community partner. Together, community partners and organizations have done their part to transform the lives of thousands of individuals, families, businesses and organizations in the community, signifying the tipping point for well-being change. Overall, 19 worksites, seven schools, 10 restaurants and two grocery stores have become Blue Zones Project Approved. All of these organizations are large employers or key influencers within the community that have made huge strides in improving community well-being. Large organizations like The Queens Medical Center - West Oahu, University of Phoenix, Four Seasons Oahu, and Disney Aulani Resort have drastically improved the environment for their employees.

Nineteen worksites, such as The Queen's Medical Center West Oahu, University of Phoenix, and Central Pacific Bank to name a few, put in the work to become Blue Zones Project Approved worksites.

Moreover, all schools in KE have become dual-approved as both schools and worksites—including James Campbell High School who is the largest school in the state of Hawai'i—further impacting the environment for teachers, students, parents and families in Kapolei'-Ewa. In addition, more than 15% of the adult population (14,323 residents) have participated in an approved engagement activity and more than 18,313 individuals have engaged with BZP over the course of three-plus years in Kapolei-'Ewa.

Students, staff and volunteers participate in National Walk to School Day

In addition, numerous policies have been passed in Food Policy, Tobacco Policy and Built Environment, which sets the stage for long-term, well-being change. The Blue Zones Project team has collaborated with key organizations and influencers to build capacity within the community to sustain well-being initiatives and projects. Numerous advocacy groups, organizations, and citizens have been passionately engaged in policy work for the past three years with Blue Zones Project. Because policy is passed at a larger Honolulu County level as well as at a Statewide level, the Kapolei-'Ewa community, in collaboration with community partners such as Coalition for a Drug-Free v, AARP, HIPHI, and Bikeshare Hawai'i to name a few, have supported programs and advocated for policy change across the community, Honolulu County and the state. The Kapolei-'Ewa community is passionate about sustaining the work BZP helped to establish, and community leaders are committed to integrating well-being into future community projects.

Numerous advocacy groups, organizations, and citizens have been passionately engaged in policy work for the past three years with Blue Zones Project

Based on the collective effort of Blue Zones Project in Kapolei-'Ewa, the Well Being Index reports higher levels of financial well-being, standard of living, produce consumption, community well-being and physical activity. The Well-Being Index Life Evaluation Score of those thriving improved to 64.9% versus 58.7% in 2017 when the project first started; those who reported they are worried or stressed declined by 4.4% and 9.8%, respectively; fruit and vegetable consumption have increased by 5.7% from 43.6% to 49.3% since 2017; smoking declined by 1.8%, from 8.7% in 2017 to 6.9% in 2020; and residents also experienced more physical activity with 58.9% exercising at least 30+ minutes a day in the past week, compared to 50.5% in 2017.

Together, the Kapolei-'Ewa community has collectively created a tipping point towards transformational, well-being change. Because of Blue Zones Project, thousands of individuals, families, businesses, and organizations have shifted towards healthier habits and policies, which has positively impacted the community in Kapolei-'Ewa and across Oahu. Mahalo to the community champions that helped make this possible in Kapolei-'Ewa! Let's live longer, better! 

Volunteers in Kapolei-'Ewa are the cornerstone of our community. Numerous community work days were held to help clean-up the community and beautify Kapolei-'Ewa for all. 

Numerous community gardens were built throughout Kapolei-'Ewa

The Papipi Road Project helped to make streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, while honoring the cultural importance an significance of Limu.

Many natural movement events were held at Camp Palehua for residents to enjoy. 

Ho‘omaika‘i Kapolei-'Ewa!

If you'd like to share your well-being story with Blue Zones Project, please contact Crystal Germano at Crystal.Germano@sharecare.com