Advocates, Experts, Leaders Converge on Nation's Capital to Encourage Walking and Walkability

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of walking enthusiasts from across the country will gather October 1-3 at the Every Body Walk! 2013 Walking Summit as part of a movement to boost the prevalence of walking and increase the ease of walking or walkability. The 2013 Walking Summit builds momentum for a walking movement and advances the mission and vision of Every Body Walk!  — to get Americans up and moving as part of their everyday lives.

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"The Walking Summit is attracting a sold-out audience of leaders from a wide variety interests — those interested in business and economic vitality, those who support environmental conservation and sustainability, those looking at links between physical activity and academic achievement, and those who champion the many health benefits of walking," said Tyler Norris, vice president, Total Health Partnerships, Kaiser Permanente. "These people recognize that getting more people walking and creating more walkable places are beneficial to their diverse missions. The fact that the summit has reached maximum capacity is a testament to how relevant and powerful the simple act of walking is, to so many different concerns facing our country."

Walking — and rolling, for those using wheelchairs or strollers — is seen as an increasingly vital component to improving public health and quality of life, while also benefitting the environment, local economies and community life. At the summit, proponents of walking will exchange best practices, learn from cutting-edge research and develop strategies to increase the demand for walking and the supply of safe places to walk in cities nationwide. On the third day of the summit, several attendees will join America Walks, a national organization serving as the backbone to the Every Body Walk! mobilization efforts, to engage policymakers in the importance of walking and the creation of walkable communities.

The three-day working session will feature a series of topic- and leader-focused roundtables, capacity-building breakout sessions on critical topics, and a community "share fair" aimed at sparking dialogue and lifting up innovative organizations and practices that support walking and walkability. The summit also features a roster of notable speakers, including:

• Jonah Berger, New York Times bestselling author of Contagious: Why Things Catch On, and professor, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
• George C. Halvorson, chairman, Kaiser Permanente
• Dan Glickman, Bipartisan Policy Center Senior Fellow, former secretary of Agriculture and former chairman of the U.S. House Intelligence Committee
• Harriet Tregoning, director of the Washington, D.C. Office of Planning

Sessions for the Walking Summit — which include numerous physical-activity breaks and walking meetings — will take place at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health and the Renaissance Washington, D.C. Downtown Hotel. Organizers expect momentum from the gathering to benefit communities across the country, as more corporations, non-profits and elected leaders see the many benefits of encouraging walking and rolling, and investing in walkable cities and communities.

About Every Body Walk!
Every Body Walk!, powered by Kaiser Permanente, is a campaign and national collaborative aimed at getting Americans up and moving — 30 minutes a day, five days a week for adults and 60 minutes for children. Walking improves physical health, the environment and the economic vitality of communities. Through the help of like-minded organizations partners, we are working to spread the message about the importance of walking and creating walkable communities. For more information, visit everybodywalk.org.

Contact:
Patrice Smith, [email protected], 510-421-7091
Dan Henkel, [email protected], 317-637-9022 ext. 127

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente