Local Beach Cities Organizations Certified as Healthy Places to Work

Beach Cities Health District and the Cities of Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach First to Receive Designation as Blue Zones Worksites™ that Promote Well-Being in the Workplace and Community

The Blue Zones Project^™, a community-wide well-being improvement initiative in Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach, announced today that the worksites of the Beach Cities Health District, City of Redondo Beach and City of Manhattan Beach have been certified as the first Blue Zones Worksites^™ in the Beach Cities. Local businesses ZICO Beverages and Bliss & Glennon have also earned worksite certification through their collaboration with the Blue Zones Project.

Based on the healthy lifestyles of “Blue Zones^®,” designated communities around the world with the highest concentrations of centenarians, the Blue Zones Project™ worksite program consists of well-being experts collaborating with local employers to implement changes that increase employee well-being and create healthier work environments. Certified employers have met criteria in the categories of leadership, purpose, physical environment, engagement, creation of and engagement in social networks, HR policies and benefits, and well-being solutions. 

Employers like the Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) and the Cities of Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach that take the worksite pledge and assessment, and promote evidence-based actions and lifestyle principles, which make tangible improvements to create a healthier work environment to make healthy choices easy, can become designated as Blue Zones Worksites™.

“At the Blue Zones Project™, we firmly believe that healthy, productive employees come from environments that demonstrate high well-being,” said Lauren Nakano, Director, Blue Zones Project™ Vitality City. “When employees feel physically, emotionally and socially well, they have fewer health-related costs, miss less work and are more productive, which is not only good business, but contributes to the well-being of our whole community.”

The Beach Cities Health District is the first worksite to become certified in the country and has championed local organizations to implement similar changes that include well-being training for managers, an employee led well-being advisory committee, monthly healthy snack days where employees bring in healthy snacks and share recipes, training sessions to help employees find their “purpose,” healthy cooking demonstrations, and fun group exercise activities.

“BCHD has spearheaded health initiatives in our community for more than 50 years, and part of that is providing the same healthy environment for our employees that we encourage other area employers to provide,” said Susan Burden, Chief Executive Officer at Beach Cities Health District. “Since making workplace improvements based on Blue Zone Project recommendations, our employees are happier, healthier and have built a stronger rapport with each other. This is not just about business; this is about taking care of our people and arming them with the tools to lead healthy lives.”

The cities of Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach have also been at the forefront of worksite well-being improvements. As an example of healthy activities, the cities each hosted a “Stepping Out” Challenge for a week where departments competed against each other to see who could walk the most steps. As a result, employees in both cities now walk at lunch and participate in exercise groups.

“Through my office’s work with the Blue Zone Project, I was inspired to start walking on my lunch breaks and the impact has been enormous,” said Sandy Wong with the City of Manhattan Beach. “Not only has the walking lowered my blood pressure and caused me to lose weight, I am amazed by how much more focused and energized I feel throughout the day. I feel happier and healthier, and now I can keep up with my active little granddaughter too!”  

The employers at the cities of Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach also provide educational events such as cooking demonstrations that feature healthy food choices, lunch-and-learns, guest speakers and push out regular communication of health and wellness tips. These activities have influenced personal wellness habits while creating greater cohesion amongst employees.  

“Working in the beach cities afforded our organization an edge in healthy living.  Having the Blue Zones Project in our community reminded us of our advantage.  Achieving the Worksite Certification was the next natural step in our growth as an organization,” said Bill Workman, City Manager of the City of Redondo Beach.

Becoming a Blue Zones Worksite™ is part of the process of becoming a certified Blue Zones Community^™— an area where people can live longer, better lives through healthy environmental opportunities — sectors of the community must pledge and then act on specific goals. Additional details on how to get started and pursue certification may be found on the website atwww.bluezonesproject.com.

About Blue Zones Project^TM

The Blue Zones Project™, formerly known as Healthways | Blue Zones Vitality City^TM initiative, is a community-wide well-being improvement initiative in the Beach Cities region of Los Angeles, to create healthier, happier and more productive citizens. It uses permanent, evidence-based environmental and policy changes to motivate residents to adopt and maintain healthier lifestyles. Using the Gallup-Healthways Well Being Index™ to benchmark the well-being of the beach cities and measure progress, the Blue Zones Project aims to create a beach cities community that is healthier and more walkable, bikeable, and socially engaged—where the healthy choice is the easy choice. The three-year initiative is a joint effort between Healthways, one of the world’s leading well-being improvement companies, Blue Zones, founded by New York Times best-selling author and national longevity expert Dan Buettner, and the lead local sponsor, Beach Cities Health District, a public agency dedicated to enhancing individual and community health through preventive health programs in the cities of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach.