Honors to be Issued at Today’s Annual NPAC Meeting

Dan Burden (second from left) was among those in attendance during Governor Neil Abercrombie's visit to the reWailuku site on 2/9/12. He is the guest speaker at today's annual NPAC meeting on Maui. Photo by Wendy Osher.

By Wendy Osher

The Nutrition and Physical Activity Coalition of Maui County will honor individuals and organizations who have done exemplary work in nutrition and physical activity during an annual meeting today.

In addition to the issuance of the Making a Difference Awards, the group will also hear from keynote speaker, Dan Burden, a nationally recognized expert on healthier communities.

Time Magazine called Burden, “one of the six most important civic innovators in the world.” He is a self taught, widely traveled community planner who supports the idea of communities being built around people, not cars.

Also at the meeting, members will present a report on the Y’s Pioneering Healthier Communities project, and provide updates about various programs and projects, including those related to work-site wellness, the built environment and nutrition programs.

NPAC Maui County is supported by the Healthy Hawaii Initiative, Hawaii State Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Their mission is to improve the quality of life of Maui County residents by reducing obesity and chronic disease by promoting healthy eating and physical activity through environmental and policy changes, education and awareness.

Among the projects supported by NPAC Maui is the completion of the Northshore Greenway, which is a proposed seven-mile pedestrian and bicycle friendly trail from Kahului to Paia.

Today’s meeting begins at 11 a.m. at the Kahili Restaurant in Waikapu.