Blue Zones to create plan to help Temple residents live better and longer
TEMPLE, Texas, March 7, 2025 -- The Temple Health & Bioscience District (THBD) today announced the launch of Blue Zones Ignite, a well-being initiative that uses a proven approach to make healthy choices easier in all the places people spend the most time. This partnership is an in-depth readiness and feasibility assessment of Temple that will help determine how to make it a healthier place to live, work, grow up, and grow older.
Temple to Join Forces with Blue Zones to Help Transform the Health of the Community
A public keynote event and town hall will be held on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, at 5 p.m. at Temple College's new Workforce and Visual Arts Building to seek input from the community. The Workforce and Visual Arts Building is located at 2115 S. 5th Street Temple, Texas 76504.
THBD has brought together leading organizations in this public-private collaboration: Temple Economic Development Corporation, City of Temple, Temple Chamber of Commerce, Temple College, Temple Independent School District, Belton Independent School District, Baylor Scott & White Health Medical Center – Temple, and Baylor Scott & White Health Plan.
"Launching a Blue Zones assessment in Temple is a key step in transforming the health of our community," said Michael Norman, Chairman of the Temple Health and Bioscience District Board. "This is a proven approach that will spark tangible, measurable change in Temple's well-being and economic vitality. Together, with our community and business partners, we're identifying public policies and community health initiatives to build a lasting culture of wellness."
Blue Zones uses a proven approach to making healthy choices easier in the places where people spend the most time. Blue Zones will work with THBD and community partners to conduct an in-depth readiness and feasibility assessment to determine how to make it a healthier place to live, work, and thrive. Together with the community, the Blue Zones team will assess readiness and build a plan for change.
"At Baylor Scott & White Health, we believe healthcare goes beyond treating illness—we want to help our patients and customers with what they need to live better," said Scott Snell, the chief operating officer of Temple Hospital & Clinics, Baylor Scott & White Health Medical Center – Temple. "We are energized by this collective effort to improve the lives of those we serve."
The Blue Zones Approach
Blue Zones employs a proven solution in collaboration with communities to help people live better and longer lives. The company's work is based on research and principles developed by National Geographic Fellow and New York Times bestselling author Dan Buettner, who identified the cultures of the world – or blue zones – with the healthiest, longest-living populations.
The Blue Zones approach focuses on the largest determinant of health: the environment in which we live. Instead of focusing solely on individual behavior change, Blue Zones helps communities make permanent and semi-permanent changes to policies, systems, streets, surroundings, and social networks so it's easier for residents to eat wisely, move naturally, and connect more with others as they move throughout their day. By improving the Life Radius®—the area close to home where most Americans spend 90% of their lives—Blue Zones transformations have been able to move the needle dramatically in improving overall population health and well-being. Participating communities have seen double-digit drops in obesity and smoking rates, economic investment in downtown corridors, grant funding awards to support policies and programs to improve health equity, and measurable savings in healthcare costs.
Ben Leedle, CEO of Blue Zones and Co-founder of Blue Zones Project, said: "We are thrilled to partner with the Temple community to create a plan that will transform the way residents live, work, and play. By bringing together leaders in the public and private sectors, we can create a sustainable culture of well-being that benefits everyone, from children to seniors, and fosters a healthier, happier, more productive and vibrant community for generations to come."
The Blue Zones expert team will connect with Temple leaders and organizations to begin immediate work assessing the strengths, needs, and challenges that residents are facing today. Blue Zones will then create a policy-focused transformation plan that, once implemented, can drive widespread improvements in well-being, reductions in healthcare costs, and improve economic vitality in the region. For more information, visit bluezones.com/ignite-temple.
About Blue Zones
Blue Zones employs evidence-based ways to help people live better, longer. The company's work is rooted in explorations and research done by founder and National Geographic Fellow Dan Buettner in blue zones regions around the world, where people live extraordinarily long and/or happy lives. The original research and findings were released in Buettner's bestselling books The Blue Zones Solution, The Blue Zones of Happiness, The Blue Zones, Thrive, Blue Zones Challenge, and Blue Zones Kitchen—all published by National Geographic books. A hit docuseries, Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, was released on Netflix in 2023. Using original Blue Zones research, Blue Zones works with cities and counties to make healthy choices easier through permanent and semi-permanent changes to our human-made surroundings. Participating communities have experienced double-digit drops in obesity and tobacco use and have saved millions of dollars in healthcare costs. For more information, visit www.bluezones.com.
About Temple Health & Bioscience District (THBD)
The Temple Health & Bioscience District (THBD) is dedicated to advancing the health and well-being of Temple, Texas, by fostering economic growth, innovation, and talent development. For over 20 years, THBD has connected businesses, healthcare leaders, and innovators to create opportunities for growth and impact. From investing in new facilities to driving workforce development, THBD is shaping Temple into a regional medical destination. As a public entity created by the Texas Legislature, THBD has played a pivotal role in promoting Temple's health science industry and continues to serve as a foundation for the community's ongoing progress. For more information, visit thbd.org.
Contacts:
Naomi Imatome-Yun
naomi@bluezones.com
Blue Zones
Bridget Hinze Weber
BWeber@TempleEDC.com
Temple Economic Development Corporation
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