REI- Huge Investment to Find Benefits of “OPTOUTSIDE”

REI is putting their money where their mouth is to the tune off $1 million. The CO-OP known for encouraging its employees and customers to #OptOutside has linked up with the University of Washington for an initiative called “Nature for Health.” The goal is to collect data and gain insight on the health benefits of opting out. The study will also looking into opportunities to open more doors to those who don’t traditionally venture into public lands and green spaces.

The study will take an in-depth look to see how being outside affects the development of kids, veterans with PTSD, and more. It will investigate how different outdoor activities have different benefits, and which communities encounter the biggest disparities when it comes to experiencing those benefits.

“Investing in the UW partnership is to get facts behind the transformative effects of nature,”     stated Jerry Stritzke, CEO of REI.

The Nature for Health study will benefit the whole outdoor community in helping find links to get those in urban communities outdoors.

Get off the couch this weekend, buzz a friend, #OPTOUTSIDE, and experience for yourself the “transformative effects of nature”.