All caregivers in the Canyons, Desert, and Peaks regions will receive a 24 ounce FreeSip insulated stainless steel water bottle from Utah-based Owala as this year’s caregiver gift. Owala designs water bottles to make life a little bit easier, and to help you do more of what you love. And, while you’re sipping on whatever you choose to put in your water bottle this summer, you’ll be helping Intermountain—and the Earth, too.
“Intermountain has nine sustainability and climate resilience fundamentals we strive to achieve both operationally and within the communities we serve. One of these fundamentals is waste reduction, reuse, and recycling,” says Glen Garrick, Intermountain’s system sustainability director. “We’ve already taken steps to only provide aluminum canned water in our facilities. The logical next step is to encourage caregivers to use reusable water bottles.”
One million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute; less than 1/3 of all plastic bottles will be recycled. Disposed-of plastics are a significant problem in the natural environment, whether it’s landfills, roadsides, or water ways. In fact, 15+ million metric tons of plastic enter our oceans every year and there will be one pound of plastic in the oceans for every three pounds of fish by 2025.
“According to Grand View Research Statistics 2022, an average person buys up to 156 plastic, disposable water bottles each year,” Glen says. “By gifting every caregiver a reusable water bottle, it can be estimated that up to 9.2 million single use disposable water bottles won’t go to our landfills over a years’ time.”
Other facts about reusable water bottles:
- Reusable water bottles have a lower environmental impact with lower emissions.
- Reusable water bottles take less oil to produce.
- Reusable metal water bottles don’t leach chemicals when exposed to sun or heat.
- Reusable keeps your drink cold or hot longer, so you’re more likely to stay hydrated. A recent study shows that roughly 75% of people in the United States suffer from constant dehydration, often unwittingly.
- Reusable water bottles allow you to control the water source. A recent report on water quality in the U.S. concluded most of the nation’s water supply is reliable and of high quality. Based on blind tests by the media, most people prefer the taste of tap water to bottled water.
- Using a reusable water bottle also saves you money. The average person spends about $5 per week on bottled water, meaning you’ll save $260 a year. Bottled water costs hundreds of times more than tap water to produce. Tap water cost less than half a penny per gallon, while bottled water cost an average of $1.11 per gallon in 2016.
Heather Brace, chief people officer, shares, “Our goal with caregiver gifts is two-fold: we want to give you something that supports your individual well-being, and we want to use local suppliers who embrace sustainable practices that promote the health of the environment, communities, and human health. The FreeSip® water bottle from Owala meets this goal. I already own this exact water bottle, and absolutely love it—and I hope you will love yours, too.”
Caregiver gifts will begin to be mailed beginning the week of June 13 by IP Advertising. It will be mailed to your address on file, and the packaging will be from Trove Brands. Please be patient as the gifts make their way through the postal system. If you haven’t received your gift by July 15, you can contact Ask HR at 801-442-7547.