Blue Zone

Blue Zones are a global movement built on decades of research into the world's longest-living, healthiest populations, from Okinawa, Japan to Loma Linda, California, one of the original Blue Zones regions and home to a large Seventh-day Adventist community much like our own.

Rather than relying on willpower or quick fixes, the Blue Zones approach reshapes the environments in which people live, work, and learn, so that healthy choices become the easy choices.

Wellbeing has always been part of who we are. Our Adventist heritage has long emphasized whole person health, mind, body, and spirit, so this designation is less a new direction than a formal recognition of values we already hold.

Earning Blue Zones Project Approved status means La Sierra met a rigorous set of criteria across several areas of campus life:

• Food Environment
  • Expanding access to whole, plant forward foods across campus dining, and making the healthy option the convenient one.
• Movement
  • Creating more natural ways to stay active throughout the day, from walkable campus design to accessible recreation spaces.
• Connection
  • Strengthening the relationships and sense of belonging that research consistently links to longer, healthier lives.
• Purpose
  • Supporting students, faculty, and staff in finding and living out a clear sense of purpose, a value already at the center of a La Sierra education.

If you are considering La Sierra, this designation signals the kind of community you would be joining. Not just a place to earn a degree, but an environment intentionally built to support your health and wellbeing while you do it.

If you are already part of the La Sierra family, this recognition belongs to you. It reflects choices made across our dining halls, our walking paths, our classrooms, and our daily interactions with one another.