Pacific Union College Obtains a Blue Zone Certification

In September 2022 Pacific Union College (PUC) faculty, staff, and students began collaborating with the Upper Napa Valley Blue Zones Project, engaging in community gardening at Calistoga Junior-Senior High School. After implementing these healthier food practices on campus, the Adventist college, located in Angwin, California, United States, was recently honored to receive a Blue Zone certification of its own, school leaders said.

The Blue Zones Project is a partnership between Blue Zones and Adventist Health, aiming to promote health and wellness by increasing access to education and healthy food choices.

“After dedicating months to Blue Zones’ best practices across campus—ranging from health education to improved built environments—PUC earned official approval under Blue Zones Project’s criteria for schools and larger organizations,” said Fabio Maia, Adventist Health philanthropy manager.

Mark Ishikawa, Blue Zones vice president of Operations and Community Transformations and PUC alumnus, emphasized PUC’s long-held commitment to the health and well-being of its students, faculty, staff, and campus community, embracing wellness as reflected in the Adventist heritage. Ishikawa graduated from PUC with a degree in religion in 2001 and has since pursued leadership roles in Adventist institutions, including Adventist Health, Loma Linda University, and PUC. His most recent role at Adventist Health involved supporting community well-being directors across 25 hospitals, leading systemwide strategies for well-being.

“Some of my most formative years were spent at PUC, where I learned the value of community, purpose, and belonging. Seeing the college take this step as a Blue Zones campus makes me incredibly proud, not just as a Blue Zones leader but as someone whose life was shaped on that hilltop,” Ishikawa said. “This new milestone builds on that foundation and shows how faith and health can come together in meaningful, impactful, and lasting ways.”

Ralph Trecartin, PUC president, also shared his thoughts after the announcement. “We are so pleased that Pacific Union College has reached the Blue Zone level of engagement that allows us to be certified in not one but three areas of campus impact: dining commons, college market, and campus,” Trecartin said, as he highlighted the steps that PUC has taken to attain this distinction. “We want our community members not only to live long, healthy lives on this earth, but to live rewarding and high-quality lives for the present. The Blue Zones certification process has taken concepts that we believe in strongly and helped us to enhance our campus life to be more impactful and effective.”

The original version of this story was posted on the Pacific Union College news site.