WAIKOLOA — The entire staff from Hawaii Water Service celebrated their recognition as a Blue Zones Project approved worksite at their Waikoloa Baseyard March 8. It was officially announced that they had reached this goal in December.
Hawaii Water Service provides water and wastewater service to many communities on the Big Island and Maui. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of California Water Service Group, which also includes California Water Service, Washington Water Service, New Mexico Water Service, CWS Utility Services and HWS Utility Services. Together, these companies provide regulated and non-regulated utility service to approximately 2 million people in more than 100 California, Washington, New Mexico and Hawaii communities.
Through their participation with the Blue Zones Project, staff at Hawaii Water Service participated in walking moais — walking groups that met weekly for 30 minutes — over the course of a 10-week period. Several employees reported some significant improvements to their health by walking with their moais.
Hawaii Water Service achieved Blue Zones Project Approved status by successfully adopting best practices that promote well-being, from providing pedometers to the walking groups that participated in the moais, to hosting a purpose workshop and healthy cooking demo for their staff, and building a garden on property for employee use.
More than 6,500 individuals in North Hawaii have engaged with the Blue Zones Project since its inception on Hawaii Island in 2015. To date, there are eight worksites, four grocery stores, eight restaurants, three schools and five faith-based organizations that are Blue Zones Project Approved.
Other organizations that have recently become Blue Zones Project Approved in North Hawaii include Foodland Farms Mauna Lani, Waikoloa Community Church, Sweet Potato Kitchen and Starbucks Waimea.