Happy Earth Month Patriots!
The Office of Sustainability exemplifies Mason’s commitment to a just and sustainable future for all.
Join us in the supporting the Mason Community in its mission.
Mason celebrates many sustainable programs, events, and initiatives during Earth Month!
Check out the featured events we encourage all Mason Patriots to attend to make an impact!
- This event has passed.
The Next System and the Academy: Systemic Crises, Movements, and Change in the 2020s
April 21, 2021 @ 5:00 pm - 7:20 pm
Our lives feel precarious. Many of us are anxious about the future. And our ability to respond effectively to the social, economic, political, climate, ecological, and human crises of these times is undermined by a widespread sense of crisis fatigue. Into this moment enters a new government in Washington that has promised to “Build Back Better.” But should we build back better only from what the last president called the “American carnage” of recent years, or must we also find ways to overcome the mounting crises of recent decades?
A rising tide of community-based movements and initiatives offer the possibility that from this period of systemic decay may emerge a next system that is more democratic, sustainable, and just.
Join us for a meaningful discussion among leading policymakers, innovators, community organizers, and academics working to prepare our society for a transition to a system that provides the best outcomes for all.
Keynote
- Rep. Mark Pocan, co-chair of the U.S. House Labor Caucus and co-chair of the Congressional Cooperative Business Caucus
Major Panel
- Kali Akuno, co-founder of Cooperation Jackson and coauthor of “Jackson Rising: The Struggle for Economic Democracy and Black Self-Determination in Jackson, Mississippi”
- Gar Alperovitz, eminent historian, and political economist and cofounder of Next System Project
- Roberto Jesus Clack, Associate Director of Warehouse Workers for Justice
- Dr. Emily Kawano, co-director of Wellspring Cooperative, and cofounder of the U.S. Solidarity Economy Coalition
Academic Response Panel
- Dr. Amy Best, Professor, and Chair of Sociology, George Mason University
- Dr. Diane Fujino, Professor, and Chair of Asian American Studies, UC Santa Barbara
Moderated by
- Dr. Ben Manski, Assistant Professor of Sociology at George Mason University and director of the Democratizing NoVA project at Mason
A full biography of each speaker and the moderator is available on the event’s official webpage.
This is an Earth Week Event co-hosted by George Mason University’s Center for Social Science Research, Democratizing NOVA project, and the Department of Sociology and Anthropology.
Co-sponsors include Mason’s Office of Sustainability; SIS Social Action and Integrative Learning (SAIL); Public Sociology Association; Graduate Student Sociological Association; Green Patriots; UndocuMason; and Movement Engaged Research Hub; as well as the UCSB Blum Center on Poverty, Inequality, and Democracy; UCSB Department of Asian American Studies; Center for Social Research at the University of Minnesota Duluth; Leadership for the Ecozoic; Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education; and also community-based supporters at the Democracy Collaborative; U.S. Solidarity Economy Network; Move to Amend; Liberty Tree Foundation; Cooperation Humboldt; Alliance for Democracy; Round Sky Solutions; and Warehouse Workers for Justice.
For more information on other events happening around Mason, click below
Mason Sustainable Best Practices:
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Volunteer with the Office of Sustainability's Greenhouse & Gardens program to learn about sustainable food production.
- Support a zero-waste campus by volunteering for a building waste audit shift!
- Be a sustainability leader and reduce Mason’s environmental impact with help from the Patriot Green Fund.
- Visit Mason’s sustainability map and find your nearest water bottle refill station, pollinator garden, zero waste station, alternative transportation options, and more!
- Learn about how Mason is accelerating action in response to the climate crisis by developing a new Climate Action Plan (CAP).
- Destress by taking a walk through Mason’s accredited arboretum or visit it virtually here to learn more about Mason’s stewardship of its trees, gardens, and other natural spaces.
- Cut your carbon emissions by taking Mason’s free shuttle service to campus.
- Eat and shop locally by visiting the weekly Mason market every Thursday at the JC East Plaza between 12:00 – 4:00 pm. You can also visit virtually through the Mason Marketplace store.
- Learn more about Mason’s pivot to reusable and compostable alternatives to single-use plastics by reading the recommendations and FAQ in the Circular Economy and Zero Waste Task Force’s Reference List!
- Become a Mason recycling expert by learning about what goes into each bin to help reduce contamination!
- Learn more about sustainability by enrolling in a Green Leaf course.
- Live on campus? Follow these easy tips to be a green resident!
- Get connected with sustainability-minded faculty with the Institute for a Sustainable Earth. Or apply to ISE’s undergraduate internship opportunity with the Global Sustain+Ability Scholars program!
Fun fact: Mason was the first public institution in the state of Virginia to earn AASHE STARS Gold in 2014, and the Princeton Review, the Sierra Club, and others recognize our achievements. Read why we command their attention.
Join thousands of sustainability supporters and never miss out on everything you need to know by engaging with the Office of Sustainability @sustainMASON on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, and the Institute for a Sustainable Earth @GeorgeMasonISE on Twitter. @ us to show us some love and use #GreenGMU to showcase your sustainable impact!
Questions, thoughts, ideas?
Chat us up about Earth Month: gogreen@gmu.edu
*Singing* Take me home (to the homepage, that is).