Wesley Palms is transforming its approach to water consumption with help from the Front Porch Communities Foundation. During COVID-19, Wesley Palms began distributing disposable water bottles. “It was culturally built in for a few years that you would pop by the front desk and ask for a water bottle,” Wesley Palms Executive Director Justin Weber shared. “Or ask for a couple of water bottles after you left the dining room.”
One afternoon, a Wesley Palms resident asked Justin why this was the community’s practice. Prompted by this question, Justin began to notice that, though there were residents and staff using reusable water bottles and mugs, they were also going through a lot of disposable water bottles. He learned that the community was going through 40 cases of 48 water bottles a week, which worked out to 92,160 water bottles a year. “That just seemed outlandish,” Justin pointed out.
Working together with staff, Justin and his team began to brainstorm alternatives that could cut down on the disposable plastic being used by the community. “What if we got every resident a reusable water bottle, something that they could carry around and fill up,” the team asked.
This idea fit well with an initiative that had already begun, replacing water fountains with bottle refilling stations. “We had several water fountains on each of our floors, and we were replacing those with water bottle refillers,” Justin noted. Water fountains were starting to go out of practice after COVID so the team was already in process to upgrade to the water bottle refill stations. These additions worked perfectly with the reusable water bottle idea.
The water bottle project was also an opportunity to partner with the Foundation. One of the Foundation funds is the Wesley Palms Community Discretionary Fund. These funds had been raised from residents and family members to support needs at the community. Justin was able to use a portion of these funds to provide every resident with a reusable water bottle. Featuring the Wesley Palms and Front Porch Communities Foundation logos, the water bottles provided a great opportunity to not only cut down on plastic at Wesley Palms, but also spread awareness about the Foundation.
“Witnessing the residents’ forward-thinking approach was inspiring and it was an honor to be part of the project,” noted Jackie Smith, Foundation associate philanthropy officer. “Their commitment to having a meaningful impact on the environment is a testament to their vision for a better future. Together, we are cultivating a legacy of responsibility and care for generations to come.”
The next important step was figuring out how to distinguish each resident’s water bottle so they wouldn’t get mixed up. “We did a little bit of research and we found a paint marker that is supposedly a permanent way you can mark the water bottles,” Justin noted. Wesley Palms held events where residents could pick up their water bottle, label it and get introduced to the community’s plan for how to use the bottles to cut down on plastic usage. “We know it’s going to be a little bit of a process,” Justin admitted, considering the plastic water bottles were “culturally built in for a few years” but he’s optimistic about the process. “I am proud of it,” Justin noted. “Our community is coming together, and people are putting their actions where their thoughts are and that takes effort.” Together, the Wesley Palms community and the Front Porch Communities Foundation are finding a way to positively transform the community’s culture around waste.
Originally published in the Fall 2024 issue of Community Matters
