As Blue Zones Project Monterey County packs up, the question remains: Is Monterey County healthier?

Sara Rubin here, writing after I snacked on some carrots and hummus—followed by some chocolate. More often than I’d like to admit, my own best intentions health-wise are counteracted by less healthy choices. I might pack a salad for lunch, but when presented with donuts, I use my healthy choice to justify an unhealthy one.

I share this because I think I’m not alone, and it’s a micro example of why larger-scale policies and systems that make it easier to choose health are so important. This is true at pretty much every level you can think of—if health agencies make vaccines available for free at a variety of locations, more people can get vaccinated conveniently. If streetscapes are designed for walking and bicycling, it becomes easier to commute safely in a way that gets your body moving. If trails are accessible and well marked, it’s easier for people to enjoy the benefits of outdoor recreation. 

The Blue Zones Project is primarily concerned with this type of systems-level thinking: What policies need to be adopted so it’s easier to choose carrots, not donuts? And Blue Zones Project Monterey County, which launched originally in Salinas in 2019, has declared its mission complete. As my colleague Pam Marino reported in the most recent issue of the Weekly, Monterey County became the first county in California to achieve Blue Zones-ceritified status. 

Part of the achievement is due to widespread participation. As Marino reports, 70 workplaces representing 14,000 employees and 64 campuses across 14 school districts participated in Blue Zones. 

The Monterey County Weekly is one of those workplaces, earning approval in April 2022. Office Manager Linda Maceira led the charge, so I asked her what went into it. 

She was presented with a list of 46 categories in which we could earn points for getting a Blue Zones workplace approval, and before we even started trying, she found we were well on our way, with 78 out of 117 points required. “A lot of it is stuff we already do, because that’s just the kind of company we are,” Maceira says. 

We could earn points we already did—like providing an onsite shower (making it easier to take a midday exercise break); offering paid time off (“Making paid time off available to employees, regardless of the reason for using it, creates a positive work environment where employees are better positioned to de-stress and get away,” according to the Blue Zones criteria); and prominently displaying the organization’s mission—it is quite literally painted on the wall. (“Aligning the mission, vision, and values helps drive a sense of belonging, engagement, and commitment, and brings clarity for the employees,” according to the Blue Zones checklist.) 

Maceira did some new things to score more points, like keeping a blood pressure cuff and blood sugar testing kit at her desk, for anyone to use whenever they want. 

Those tools have been pretty unpopular, but others are a hit, such as memberships to the Monterey Sports Center. “I've never been much of a gym person for financial reasons so this was probably the most consistently I've ever gone to the gym in my life,” one colleague shares. 

During the summer, we get weekly deliveries of fresh produce from Everyone’s Harvest (hence my carrot snack today). “I absolutely eat more fruits and veggies during the produce delivery, and I plan meals around what is in season,” one coworker shares. Another finds new recipes based on the herbs we receive. 

One vegetable-based dinner here, one walking break there, a sense of mission and social connectivity in a workplace—none of it alone is enough to move the needle on health. But, according to Blue Zones, “Employers are in a powerful position to help us move more, eat better and connect. About one-third of our waking hours are spent at work.”

Have you seen a benefit from Blue Zones in your own life?