Blue Zones Project - Hawaii Blog

Plant Slant

Photo courtesy of Waimea Ocean Film Festival

START THE NEW YEAR ON THE RIGHT FOOT!

A Waimea Ocean Film Festival walking-talk about plants that thrive in our North Hawaii environment - both native and edible - followed by a deliciously healthy "farm-to-table" cooking demo. It’s the next step in connecting Blue Zones Project with our North Hawaii community to help our ohana live longer, better - presented in partnership with Mala’ai School Garden, Waimea Outdoor Circle’s Ulu La’au Nature Park and Blue Dragon restaurant’s “farm-to-table” Chef Noah Hester.

Please join us for a walk-and-talk-story to start the new year on the right foot – making meaningful, sustainable choices to “Live Longer, Better.” Meet at Mala`ai: The Culinary Garden of Waimea Middle School at 7:30 a.m., Sunday, January 3, 2016, for Starbucks coffee and tea, then walk to Waimea Nature Park, Ulu La`au, to meet with Waimea Outdoor Circle volunteers to see and hear about native plants. Afterwards, we will walk back to Mala`ai to learn more about the plants middle school students are growing and eating!  This will be followed by a healthy cooking class with Chef Noah Hester from the Blue Dragon. Learn about how the Blue Dragon Farm in North Kohala grows food to support its restaurant, and how you can create tasty, freshly harvested recipes from this talented young chef. 

RSVP:
Patti Cook
cookshi@aol.com
(808) 937-2833

or

Carol Ignacio
CarolR.Ignacio@healthways.com
(808) 202-4958

Come January 1, you may also sign up at the Waimea Ocean Film Festival headquarters at the Kahilu Theatre Lobby – sooner is better!

Please wear comfortable shoes and dress in warm layers in case Waimea's wild winter weather rolls in! Please also bring your own plate – must be just 10-inches – both to minimize waste generated by the event, and to honor Blue Zones researched-based strategy of making it easier to enjoy smaller portions.

This event it is FREE thanks to kokua by all of the event partners.

We hope to see you there!

BIG ISLAND COMMUNITIES TAKE STEPS TOWARD SAFER, MORE PEDESTRIAN AND BIKE-FRIENDLY TOWNS

SAVE THE DATE!

PHENOMENAL TURNOUT AT BLUE ZONES PROJECT HAWAII LAUNCH PARTIES

"Epic..."

"...beyond spectacular."

"Everyone is asking when's the next 'party', it was that AWESOME!!"

Those are just some of the comments circulating after Blue Zones Project Hawaii launched three back-to-back kick-off events in just 24 hours on two islands this past weekend.

The turnout at each of the three community celebrations instantly filled the venues to capacity, with lines forming an hour before the kick-offs even started!

Check out the numbers:

Koolaupoko (Windward Oahu) 

• Attendance: 850
• Pledges: 210

East Hawaii & Mayor's Health Fest 

• Attendance: 1200
• Pledges: 315

North Hawaii 

• Attendance: 700
• Pledges: 297

The kick-off "tour" began on Friday, October 16 in Koolaupoko at Windward Community College, then in East Hawaii on Saturday morning, October 17, at Hilo's Civic Auditorium in partnership with Hawaii Island Mayor Billy Kenoi's annual Mayor's Health Fest, and ending in North Hawaii Saturday afternoon at Waimea's Kahilu Theatre and Kahilu Town Hall.

All three launch parties were free and family-friendly, with local entertainment, booths and activities centered around the Blue Zones Project Power 9 principles, from a Downshift Lounge with free massage, yoga, and meditation, to Move Naturally demos, a Keiki (child) Zone to promote Family First, Plant Slant healthy cooking demos, food tastings, garden demos, and more!

Blue Zones Founder and CEO Dan Buettner delivered a dynamic keynote presentation to standing room only crowds in the theatres where he took center stage and shared inspirational stories from the original Blue Zones areas where people reach age 100 at 10 times the average rate.

HMSA CEO Mike Gold and Elisa Yadao, Senior Vice President of HMSA's Consumer Experience Division, also took the stage to share some of HMSA's vision around a healthier state for everyone which is why they brought Blue Zones Project to Hawaii.