Mason Staff Senate

Author: April Lopez

Spring 2024 “How to Thrive at Mason” Boot Camp

A woman sitting under a tree in blossom, staring at a lake (Mason Pond). The George Mason University logo. Header reads: Spring 2024 How to thrive at Mason! Boot Camp.

As you may already be aware, the Spring 2024 “How to Thrive at Mason” Boot Camp is fast approaching! The agenda is now available on the Boot Camp page and registration is open until Friday, May 10! Click here to Register (requires login). This virtual learning opportunity will take place from May 14-16 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. each day. Zoom links for all sessions will be available prior to the start of the event.

This event is intended for all Mason employees – from newcomers to long-timers – and will provide a free professional development opportunity focused on skill attainment and refinement, while providing support across the university. The main purpose is to focus on connecting and collaborating across the university to help break down silos. The event will increase the awareness of interconnectedness on processes and procedures, as well as providing the “big picture.”

All sessions will be recorded and made available at a later date. Please send any questions to the Boot Camp Planning & Logistics Team.

Download the pdf flyer.

Staff Senate Sustainability Update

A large recycling bin in the foreground. The inner containers are pulled out and a man and a woman are arranging liners inside. A Facilities van and a brick building with large windows are in the background.
Kevin Brim (left), Supervisor of Recycle/Waste Management, and Colleen Regan (right), Zero Waste Specialist, both of Mason Facilities, setting up one of the new Bigbelly Solar zero waste stations. Photo credit: Ben Auger, Engagement Coordinator, Mason Facilities

This month we’re excited about the new Glass Recycling Pilot, and the appearance of no fewer than 23 new Bigbelly Zero Waste stations across Fairfax and Mason Square (Arlington) campuses!

Following the successful pilot of the zero waste station at Northern Neck Starbucks, Facilities recently installed the 23 new stations, five of which also include industrial composting bins for food scraps and certified compostable items, in addition to the standard recycling and trash disposal options.

Three large bins with pedal opening, standing side by side against a brick wall. They display symbols indicating that they are for (from left to right) recycling, trash, and composting.
One of the new Bigbelly Solar zero waste stations, located outside Southside Dining, featuring recycling, trash, and industrial compost options. Photo credit: April Lopez

You can find more information about the new Bigbelly stations, including their locations, on the Facilities News website.

For more ways to divert your waste from incineration and to redistribute and dispose of unwanted items sustainably and creatively, see the University Sustainability’s Zero Waste Mason webpage.

Could your office or workspace make a waste reduction ‘pledge’ in time for Earth Month in April? Join the Greener Mason Community on Teams and share your ideas!

Staff Senate Sustainability Tip

A green lightbulb with a seedling inside, on a darker green background. The logos of George Mason University and the Staff Senate. Heading reads Staff Senate Sustainability Tip.

For a greener holiday season, why not try to choose durable instead of disposable, and compostable instead of plastic? Or save those unusable food scraps from the landfill by dropping them off for composting! Most Northern Virginia areas have composting facilities—google “[your county or city] + food composting”—and some local farmers markets also have food waste collection stations.
See more ways you can reduce waste at Mason on the updated Zero Waste Mason webpage.
Season’s Greetings from the
Staff Senate’s Environmental Justice and Sustainability ad hoc committee

Staff Senate Sustainability Update

Infographic showing a Terracycle Zero Waste box for chip and snack bags, candy and chocolate bar wrappers, gum wrappers and blister packs, and granola bags and wrappers.

Seasonal reminder that candy and snack wrappers don’t belong in the regular recycling bins – BUT if you’re on or around the Fairfax campus, you can collect your wrappers and bring them to the Honors College lounge, Buchanan Hall, D205, where there is a dedicated Zero Waste box for the following items:

  • chip and snack bags
  • candy and chocolate bar wrappers
  • gum wrappers and blister packs
  • granola bags and wrappers.

Thanks to our Honors College colleagues for their above and beyond recycling efforts!

Staff Senate Sustainability Update, September 2023

A green lightbulb with a seedling inside, on a darker green background. The logos of George Mason University and the Staff Senate. Heading reads Sustainability at work.

The Environmental Justice and Sustainability ad hoc Committee is here to represent staff views and to pursue staff-relevant initiatives in environmental and sustainability issues (broadly defined). We’re in the process of reconnecting with our ongoing projects – here are a few of our successes from last year:

Let us know if you have ideas you’d like us take forward, either in Greener Mason or through staffsenate@gmu.edu. Everyone’s contribution is important as we push for a sustainable future and a greener Mason!

 

Staff Senate Summer Sustainability Tip

A green lightbulb with a seedling inside, on a darker green background. The logos of George Mason University and the Staff Senate.

Clearing out some office space this summer? Stock-taking in the stationery cabinet? If you have items you no longer need, try offering them in the Office Supplies Swap! Several items, from blue books to gold tablecloths, have already been rehomed and saved from the trash.

Join the discussion and see more sustainability and environmental conversations in the Greener Mason Community on Teams.

Announcements from Facilities

Arboretum Tree Planting

In celebration of Earth Week, Mason’s Arboretum Board hosted a community tree planting event at Peterson Hall on April 20. Student volunteers came together to help plant flowering dogwood trees (Cornus florida), which are native to the region and aid local wildlife and pollinators.  

Read the full story here.

“The Shape of Water”: A Collaborative Sustainable Art Installation

Multiple waste audits and a campus cleanup conducted at George Mason University by Mason Facilities, Student Government, and University Sustainability contributed an estimated 1,555 single-use plastic items, weighing 58.4 pounds to Celia Ledón’s The Shape of Water installation, which was visible at the REACH Welcome Pavilion in the Kennedy Center from March 22 to April 23, 2023.

Read the full story here.

Staff Senate Sustainability Updates

This month’s sustainability updates from the Staff Senate Environmental Justice and Sustainability ad hoc committee:

Greener Mason Community

The Greener Mason Community is now active! It aims to bring together people from across Mason to discuss, share, and act on environmental and sustainability issues, and provides space for discussion, resources, and general information about environmentally related topics and initiatives at Mason and further afield. Conversations range from plastic on campus to your favorite “cli-fi” books!

Join the Greener Mason Community on Microsoft Teams here.

Office Supply Swap and Green Office Initiative

Staff Senate’s Office Supply Swap is also now live in the Greener Mason Community. Use the dedicated channel to post items you no longer need or ask for items that others might be able to pass along to reduce unnecessary purchases and wasted resources.

The Office Supply Swap has been incorporated into University Sustainability’s Green Office Initiative (GOI), which is launching soon. The GOI engages university employees and helps them make their offices, and Mason, even more sustainable. To be first to receive information about the GOI on its launch, email Ben Auger at gogreen@gmu.edu to express interest.

Volunteering Spotlight: Patriot Packout

Volunteering opportunities are available this month at Patriot Packout (PPO) sites across the campuses. PPO is Mason’s annual end-of-the-year donation initiative, providing on-campus donation resources for all students, faculty, and staff affected by move-out. PPO diverts usable items from trash and redistributes them to Mason students, faculty/staff, and community members who can benefit from them.

Visit the Patriot Packout webpage for more information and to sign up as a volunteer. Don’t forget that eligible employees may use School Assistance and Volunteer Service Leave to participate.

Sustainability Updates: Launch of the Greener Mason Community, Office Supply Swap, and more

Greener Mason Community

The Staff Senate Environmental Justice and Sustainability ad hoc committee is pleased to announce the launch of the online Greener Mason Community. Based in Microsoft Teams, the Greener Mason Community aims to bring together people from across Mason to discuss, share, and act on environmental and sustainability issues (broadly defined) in order to advance both individual and institutional knowledge and goals. It will provide space for discussion, resources, and general information about environmentally-related topics and initiatives at Mason and further afield.  

You can join at Greener Mason Community. While coordinated by Staff Senate, the Community is open to everyone at Mason, so please share widely. It is intended to be responsive to community members, so if you don’t see a channel for your own area of interest, please ask—we can create new ones if there is demand for particular topics. We look forward to seeing you there! 

Office Supply Swap

One of the initiatives represented in the Greener Mason Community is the Office Supply Swap. This will be a way for Mason employees to give and receive small, surplus items across the university to reduce both unnecessary purchases and wasted resources. We are encouraging people to use the Supply Swap to offer up small items (for example, stationery) that you no longer need instead of trashing them, and also to request items that you don’t have, before ordering new. And you don’t have to swap directly with the other person! 

All we ask is that items are and remain property of the university (no personal items; no claiming items for personal use), and that technology and larger items such as furniture should not be offered in the Supply Swap (see links for existing surplus procedures). 

To offer or find items, join the Greener Mason Community and look for the Office Supply Swap channel. Post a new item or ask for something; or browse current offerings and reply to the post to request. 

Green Office Initiative

The Office Supply Swap is offered by Staff Senate as part of the Green Office Initiative, headed by University Sustainability. Green Office supporters in offices across Mason will commit to completing an annual assessment about their office’s sustainable practices and integrating more of these into their day-to-day work. There will also be opportunities for training and office hours to connect with others and have your questions answered.

Staff Senate is encouraging as many people as possible to take part. If you’re interested, contact gogreen@gmu.edu with your name, office, and role, to receive an invitation as soon as the initiative launches later this month! 

Earth Month

Finally, Mason celebrates many sustainable programs, events, and initiatives during Earth Month! University Sustainability’s Earth Month Calendar, Mason360 events, and Today@Mason are great places to find upcoming events.

In particular, we encourage staff to join University Sustainability and Human Resources on Monday, April 17, at 11 a.m. via Zoom to learn how you can get involved and make a sustainable impact on campus. Register here. 

Staff Senate Sustainability Tip

A green lightbulb with a seedling inside, on a darker green background. The logos of George Mason University and the Staff Senate.

Did you know? In 2021, Mason eliminated all single-use plastic bottles for the sale of water and soda, replacing them with much more easily recyclable aluminum cans.

If you currently bring bottled water to campus, you can support the Buy Less, Buy Better waste reduction initiative by switching to a reusable option. Take a look at the Sustainability Map to find a water refill station near you.

See more information about the Buy Less, Buy Better initiative.

Read about the Plastics Free Mason initiative.