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.