Commitments and Accomplishments – University Sustainability

Mason’s commitment to sustainability is real and it is supported by public commitments and extensive accomplishments. Our public commitments began in 1996 when Mason’s President Johnson signed the Talloires Declaration (TD), “the first official statement made by university presidents, chancellors, and rectors of a commitment to environmental sustainability in higher education.” In 2007, Mason made another historic commitment and pledged to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050 as a charter signatory of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). Mason continues to make progress towards a sustainable future with an extensive number of accomplishments – in 2014 we were the first university in the state of Virginia to earn a Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking, Assessment, and Rating System (STARS).

We invite you to reflect on Mason’s sustainability successes by reviewing our key commitments and accomplishments.

1990-1999

1996: Mason signs the 1990 Talloires Declaration (TD): “the first official statement made by university presidents, chancellors, and rectors of a commitment to environmental sustainability in higher education. The Talloires Declaration (TD) is a ten-point action plan for incorporating sustainability and environmental literacy in teaching, research, operations and outreach at colleges and universities.”

2000-2009

2002: Mason’s University Master Plan commits to “…strategically preserve woodlands, wetlands, and waterways to maintain the campus image and provide for ecological diversity. It also establishes ‘ecological corridors’ following drainage ways, streams, and topography, that buffer development, preserve essential natural features and provide for a connective network of walking trails and bikeways.”
2005: Mason invests $12.2 million to improve energy and water efficiency at the Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William campuses with its first Energy Savings Performance Contract with Siemens Industry, Inc.
2006: Housing and Residence Life launches its Green Living/Learning floor, which later becomes the Environment and Sustainability Living Learning Community (LLC).
2007: The Office of Government and Community Relations with Mason Recycling and Waste Management launches Patriot Packout to divert unwanted residence hall items away from the trash during move-out at the end of the academic year. Patriot Packout is now a collaboration between University Sustainability, Mason Recycles, and Housing & Residence Life and diverted 13,049 pounds of food, clothing, and appliances away from the trash in 2019.
2007: President Merten is a charter signatory of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and commits Mason to carbon neutrality by 2050.
2007: In pursuit of the ACUPCC, Mason recruits its first Sustainability Coordinator, Lenna Storm, who launches University Sustainability.
2007: Mason’s Board of Visitors pledges to “improve environmental sustainability of the University by setting a goal for all new buildings to be designed and constructed to meet [U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design] (LEED) Silver standards.”
2008: The University Sustainability facilitates the publication of Mason’s first Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Inventory. Mason’s commitment to the ACUPCC requires regular reporting updates via Second Nature.
2008: The Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation is established at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) headquarters in Front Royal, Virginia, Mason students work with world-renowned researchers on leading-edge interdisciplinary research projects.
2008: Provost Stearns appoints Dr. Sharon deMonsabert as Mason’s first Fellow for Sustainability Curricula (2008-2010).
2009: Mason’s Potomac Environmental Research and Education Center (PEREC) launches its massive Bay Watershed Education and Training Program (BWET), providing environmental stewardship field experiences for more than 100,000 Northern Virginia secondary school students by 2020.
2009: Mason makes its first appearance in the Sierra Club’s “Cool Schools” ranking.
2009: Mason hosts the “Virginia Powershift” youth climate summit focused on issues in Virginia.
2009: Mason invests $4.5 million to improve energy and water efficiency at the Fairfax, Arlington, and Prince William campuses with its second Energy Savings Performance Contract with Siemens Industry, Inc. Since FY 2005, the (40) energy improvement measures from the two Energy Savings Performance Contracts save Mason $2.5 million annually. Funds returned from the curtailment program are used to complete a thermal blanket insulation project that will yield savings of $2.5 million over 15 years with a payback of 13 months. All three projects reduce Mason’s annual Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 20,505 metric tons of CO2.
2009: Auxiliary Enterprises Green (AE Green), led by Sustainability Projects Manager Dan Waxman, publishes a “Road Map to Sustainability for Auxiliary Enterprises and University Services” in collaboration with Auxiliary Enterprises and University Services. The Road Map highlights current accomplishments and details future plans aligned with Mason’s American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and institutional sustainability goals.
2009: University Sustainability creates Mason’s first, student-led organic garden on campus located behind the Potomac Heights residence hall. Each year, hundreds of students grow food in the garden and earn class credit. The GMU Organic Gardening Association (GOGA) supervises the management of the garden and plans annual events like the annual cooking event in the fall and the annual seedling sale in the spring.

2010-Present

2010: Mason publishes its first-ever Climate Action Plan that reflects upon its sustainability progress to-date while establishing plans for the future.
2010: Mason is featured in The Princeton Review’s inaugural Guide to 286 Green Colleges (link is to current edition) which is presented in partnership with the USGBC.
2010: Mason creates the Sustainability Studies Academic Council that evaluates sustainability learning outcomes in courses and programs.
2010: The Environmental and Sustainability Studies major is included in the University Catalog for the first time, followed by the Environmental Science major in 2011.
2010: Mason joins in the formation of UN Academic Impact: dedicated to the “promotion and protection of human rights, access to education, sustainability and conflict resolution.“
2010: Mason hosts the launch of the NoVA Outside alliance of environmental educators then partners to deliver its Student Environmental Action Showcase for thousands of Northern Virginia K-12 students each year (2012-2019) at Mason’s Center for the Arts.
2010: The Long and Kimmy Nguyen Engineering building becomes Mason’s first USGBC LEED-certified building and earns a rating of Silver.
2010: Mason, along with the National Geographic Society and the Smithsonian National Zoo, launches the Washington Youth Summit for the Environment, an opportunity for hundreds of High School Youth Delegates from all over the country to experience “an integrated and forward-thinking approach to the environment, while acquiring valuable…knowledge.”
2010: Mason joins the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) as a Charter Participant, confirming its commitment to sustainability by participating in the v1.0 reporting process (for which Mason earned a Silver rating).
2011: The University Sustainability launches the Green Patriot student ambassador program to promote peer-to-peer sustainability education and expands its Green Patriot program for faculty and staff members. The Green Patriots are now a Registered Student Organization (RSO).
2011: Mason creates the “Green Leaf” catalog designation for 12 academic programs and 30 courses that teach sustainability. By 2020, 24 academic programs and 136 courses receive the “Green Leaf” designation.
2011: Mason’s Fairfax Campus is recognized as a Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists and earns a Bronze rating.
2011: Mason’s Facilities Management financially supports the launch of University Sustainability’s Patriot Green Fund, a $100,000 annual sustainability fund devoted to making Mason’s campuses more sustainable through infrastructure improvements and student research projects. 70 projects receive funding (2011-2020) with many more to come in the future – view funded projects here.
2011: Mason’s Transportation Master Plan articulates the need to integrate sustainability into parking and transportation services while proposing projects to improve pedestrian, bicycle, transit (and shuttles), parking, and much more.
2011: Mason starts reporting its sustainability progress using the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STARS) from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), and earns a Silver rating.
2011: Provost Stearns approves a vision for incorporating sustainability into Mason’s academic endeavors.
2012: Mason joins the Higher Education Sustainability Initiative (HESI) during the buildup to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). “With commitments from over 300 universities from around the world, HESI accounted for more than one-third of all the voluntary commitments that were launched at Rio+20.”
2012: Mason commits to support the United Nations Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative. The UN’s Global Compact is “a call to companies to align strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption, and take actions that advance societal goals.”
2012: Mason Dining hosts the first-ever Southside Farmers’ Market event on September 6. Despite the rain, 120 people attend the historic event!
2012: The Patriot Green Fund finances the Fairfax Campus Apiaries project which establishes four hives and sets the foundation for what eventually becomes the Mason Honey Bee Initiative, a joint partnership between the School of Business and the College of Science, now with more than 800 hives domestically and internationally (current hive count as of 5/2020).
2012: The first Permaculture Design Certification Course is held at Mason’s Fairfax campus during Spring Break, and is open to students and non-students who can earn continuing education credits. The course is hosted from 2012-2016 and inspires the 2013 launch of the – now thriving – Innovation Food Forest.
2013: Mason hosts the “United Nations Global Compact Symposium: Honoring Our Commitment.”
2013: Mason incorporates Environmental Standards into its Design Information Manual. This portion of the manual provides information about Mason’s environmental goals, priorities, and minimum requirements for teams building or renovating on Mason’s campuses.
2013: Inspired by a Permaculture Design Certification Course, then student Elizabeth Torrens submits a Patriot Green Fund proposal to University Sustainability to create the Innovation Food Forest on a parcel of land by Innovation Hall and the Johnson Center. The Patriot Green Fund proposal is approved and the Innovation Food Forest is created in 2013 – it uses permaculture techniques to grow food with permanent plants, such as fruit trees, shrubs, herbs and much more. The site grows more abundant each year and provides free food to the public as well as opportunities for volunteering, student projects, and classroom activities.
2013: The first Elkay water bottle refill station is installed in the Johnson Center led by the efforts of Auxiliary Enterprises and University Services. As of 2022, there are more than 40 stations on the Fairfax Campus alone, many financed by University Sustainability’s Patriot Green Fund!
2014: Mason’s School of Business subscribes to the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME) which “is a United Nations-supported initiative founded in 2007 as a platform to raise the profile of sustainability in schools around the world, and to equip today’s business students with the understanding and ability to deliver change tomorrow.” 
2014: Mason’s 2014–2024 Strategic Plan includes a core value of stewardship: “We manage the economic and natural resources entrusted to us responsibly and sustainably.”
2014: Mason becomes the first university in Virginia to earn a  Gold rating from AASHE STARS.
2014: The Pop-Up Pantry is created in December of 2014 by then-graduate student Yara Mowafy and University Life staff member Michael Galvin to raise awareness about food insecurity issues experienced by students. Shortly thereafter, Yara and Michael create a food pantry for non-perishable food items, toiletries, and basic school supplies for students in need.
2014: Mason Dining invests ~$25,000 in eCube refrigeration sensors in support of energy conservation. The sensors allow for more efficient and less frequent operation of refrigerators saving Mason an average of ~$30,000 per year (as of 2014).
2015: Mason features as a “Rising Star” earns its place as one of the “Top Performers” in the “Purchasing” category in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s 2015 Sustainable Campus Index. In addition, Mason’s installation of a comprehensive, integrated facility energy management system, which yields tremendous cost savings and decreases the institution’s environmental impact, is included as an exemplarly “Energy Highlight.”
2015: Mason ranks as the 18th Greenest University out of 240 schools by BestColleges.com.
2015: Mason’s Fairfax Campus recertifies its recognition as a Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists and earns a Bronze rating.
2015: President Cabrera signs Mason to the White House’s American Campuses Act on Climate (ACAC) initiative.
2015: The Presidents Park Greenhouse is transformed into a hydroponic food-production facility offering fresh produce to Mason’s dining halls, and year-round volunteering and service-learning opportunities for the community – hundreds of students participate each year and earn course credit while learning how to grow food indoors without soil.
2016: Mason earns its place as one of the “Top Performers” in the “Purchasing” category in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s 2016 Sustainable Campus Index.
2017: Mason earns a Gold rating from AASHE STARS for the second time since 2014.
2017: The Pop-Up Pantry is officially renamed to the Patriot Pantry and is relocated to a dedicated space in Sub I due to the diligent work of then undergraduate students Gary Hooker and Noah Shoates, among others, who worked to secure a permanent home for the Patriot Pantry. The Patriot Pantry continues to serve the needs of the Mason Community by providing non-perishable foods, toiletries, and other supplies.
2017: Mason expands Goal #11 (Research of Consequence) from its 2014-2024 Strategic Plan and adds a multidisciplinary research initiative focused on “supporting resilient and sustainable societies.” A commitment is made to increase annual research expenditures for this initiative from ~$50 million in 2017 to ~ $80 million by 2024.
2017: Mason earns its place as one of the “Top Performers” in the “Purchasing” category in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s 2017 Sustainable Campus Index.
2018: Mason’s School of Business, a PRME subscriber since 2014, elevates its membership to PRME Champion status.
2018: Mason increases its annual research expenditures in resilient and sustainable societies to $68 million, an increase of ~28% ($14 million) over Fiscal Year (FY) 17 levels.
2018: Mason earns its place as one of the “Top Performers” in the “Water” category in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s 2018 Sustainable Campus Index. In addition, Mason’s Washington Youth Summit for the Environment program, a partnership between the National Geographic Society and the National Zoo, is included as an exemplary “Public Engagement” initiative.
2019: Mason’s Fairfax Campus recertifies its recognition as a Bicycle Friendly University by the League of American Bicyclists and improves its previous rating (Bronze) to Silver. Additionally, Mason Square (formerly the Arlington Campus) is recognized as a Bicycle Friendly University and earns a Bronze rating.
2019: Mason is featured in The Princeton Review’s 2019 Guide to Green Schools. This is Mason’s tenth consecutive feature in The Princeton Review’s annual Guide to Green Schools.
2019: Mason launches the Institute for a Sustainable Earth, fulfilling a key research component of Mason’s vision for sustainability in academic endeavors.
2019: President Cabrera reconstitutes the Mason Sustainability Council (MSC) with Vice President-level leadership.
2019: President Cabrera participates in the creation of the University Global Coalition, enlisting higher education’s support for a sustainable future.
2019: Mason makes its eighth appearance in the Sierra Club’s “Cool Schools” ranking and places in the top 25%.
2019: the School of Business launches the Business for a Better World Center, it addresses the world’s “wicked” problems by furthering the UN’s SDGs.
2019: As part of the #FridaysForFuture movement, Mason students participate in a climate march in DC, and then organize Mason’s ‘Fridays for Future’ climate change rally. This results in Mason’s reaffirmation of its pledge to carbon neutrality signed by President Merten in 2007. Additionally, with the full support of President Anne Holton, the Mason Sustainability Council is tasked with developing a Strategic Plan for Sustainability and updating the existing Climate Action Plan.
2019: the School of Business’ Business for a Better World Center is recognized with the ‘Innovations that Inspire’ award presented by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AASCB), the ‘Honey Bee Initiative is specifically highlighted in the award.
2019: Mason earns its place as one of the “Top Performers” in the “Water” category in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s 2019 Sustainable Campus Index.
2019: the University Sustainability and the Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE) lead the effort to partner Mason with the Earth Day Network (EDN) to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day on April 22nd, 2020 and join EDN’s first-ever, state-based campaign in Virginia! 
2020: Mason is ranked #33 in the U.S. News and World Report’s “Most Innovative Schools.”
2020: Mason further strengthens its membership in the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) and hosts the January 2020 Member’s Meeting. Opening remarks are provided by Dr. Aurali Dade and Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, both of Mason’s Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE). Mason’s School of Business sponsors a networking happy hour which includes presentations and dialogue around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, reporting, and partnerships between cities and universities integrating the SDGs.
2020: Mason’s Facilities Management Team converts all interior/exterior lighting at the Facilities Administration, Facilities Management, Archives, the Recycling Center, and the Central Heating and Cooling Plant buildings to 100% LED fixtures. The Central Warehouse’s lighting is converted to all LED fixtures except for T5 fluorescent lighting in high-bay areas. The total square footage of all converted locations is approximately 90,000 square feet – that’s the same area as 19 National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball courts!
2020: Despite the challenges presented by COVID-19, Mason students plan and host the very first Virginia Environmental Justice Summit.
2020: Out of more than 2,500 projects, the Colombia effort of the Business for a Better World Center’s Honey Bee Initiative is selected as the 15th best overall social and environmental project in Latin America and the Caribbean by the Latinoamérica Verde awards.
2020: The Masters in Health Administration program’s Graduating Class of 2020 generously donates 2.5 hours of time to University Sustainability, the first gift of its kind received by OoS. This gift drives the development of a proposal to advance unique funding pathways to support students in their sustainability studies while growing financial resources for sustainability projects that propel Mason towards its goal of carbon neutrality.
2020: Dr. Dann Sklarew designs the EVPP 490-008 & EVPP 692-004 Sustainability Planning for Communities course to create a draft of George Mason University’s Strategic Plan for Sustainability and establishes a formal partnership with University Sustainability. The partnership receives the Outstanding Partner Award during Social Action and Integrative Learning’s (SAIL) annual Seeds of Change event.
2020: Mason earns its place as one of the “Top Performers” in the “Water” and “Waste” categories in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s 2020 Sustainable Campus Index.
2020: George Mason University & EARTHDAY.ORG release the Earth Challenge Higher Education Toolkit to integrate citizen science into higher education.
2020: President Gregory Washington signs the “America Is All In” statement issued by the We Are Still In coalition (now America Is All In) and joins more than 1,500 entities calling for the United States to align with net-zero emissions by 2050.
2021: The George Mason University Arboretum earns international accreditation from ArbNet, the only international accreditation program specific to arboreta. It boasts more than 100 trees and woody plants across multiple campus sites.
2021: The Virginia Environmental Justice Summit (VEJS), a ‘for students, by students’ one-day summit educating folks about the theory and practice of environmental justice, is featured as an “institutional highlight” in AASHE‘s 2021 Sustainable Campus Index.
2021: Mason is featured in The Princeton Review’s 2022 Guide to Green Schools. This is Mason’s twelfth consecutive feature in The Princeton Review’s annual Guide to Green Schools.
2021: Mason earns its tenth feature on the Sierra Club‘s “Cool Schools” list. This year’s edition is the last as the Sierra Club announces plans to transition away from ranking higher education institutions.
2021: As one of the co-founding members of the University Global Coalition (UGC), Mason – led by University Sustainability, the Business for a Better World Center, and the Institute for a Sustainable Earth – is an organizing member and participant in Sustainable Development Goals Action & Awareness Week.
2021: Mason earns a Gold rating from AASHE STARS for the third time since 2014.
2021: Mason bans single-use plastics and polystyrene from all of its campuses in support of former Governor Ralph Northam’s Executive Order Seventy-Seven.
2021: The Mason Sustainability Council‘s Carbon Neutrality Task Force, in collaboration with Mason Facilities, launches a two-part Climate Action Plan process to accelerate the university to carbon neutrality. Phase I is a high-level, strategic framework and will be delivered in April 2022. Phase II focuses on implementing the strategies identified in Phase I and will begin in April 2022.