Geoff Kors to lead Palm Springs’ Blue Zones Project, initiative seeks to help residents ‘live better, longer lives’

The city of Palm Springs has teamed up with the Riverside University Health System Public Health and Riverside County to launch the Blue Zones Project, an initiative to improve community well-being, health, happiness, and connectivity.

According to its founders, Blue Zones uses over 20 years of research and scientifically proven lesson of longevity, health, and happiness from the longest-lived cultures in the world to transform community environments so healthy choices are the easiest to make.

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.

“This is a major step towards improving the health and well-being of our historic City,” said Palm Springs Mayor Jeffrey Bernstein. “Blue Zones Project aligns with our existing efforts to improve quality of life by investing in safer parks and recreational spaces, improved infrastructure, and more resources for the unhoused. We are extremely pleased to join Blue Zones in this unified effort.”

Palm Springs first joined the initiative in Feb. 2023, with officials and leaders putting together a readiness assessment, which includes the city's challenges to well-being and opportunities for transformation.

Geoff Kors, former Palm Springs Mayor and City Councilmember, will serve as Executive Director of the Blue Zones Project in Palm Springs.

According to the city, Kors will be responsible for leading the rollout and implementation of the community-led well-being initiative focused on transforming the environments where people live, work, learn, and play.

“This significant investment in creating community-wide change will have a long-term impact on the residents of Palm Springs,” shared Kors. “By bringing resources and a proven program to create change, this collaboration is truly a gift to our communities.”

Officials said the launch of the Blue Zones Project represents the beginning of a multi-year collaborative effort that involves the entire community working together toward one common goal – to support and build a culture of health and well-being.

The city of Coachella launched its Blue Zone initiative in 2022. There are six other Riverside County cities taking part in the initiative as well.

For more information visit: BlueZonesProject.com