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2023 All Together Green Facilities Management News On-Campus Solutions Sustainability

Revamping Recycling at the Center for the Arts

 

The Center for the Arts at Mason (CFA) on the Fairfax campus is proud to announce the successful revamp of its zero waste infrastructure, thanks to the support of University Sustainability's Patriot Green Fund. The initiative implemented sleek new waste and recycling stations to improve Mason’s diversion rate, aiming to reach Mason's zero waste goal of diverting 90% or more of waste from the trash.   

While digital event programs are readily available for patrons at CFA, the need for paper programs and the subsequent recycling of them still exists. Maura Glascock, Production Coordinator, recognized the potential for increased waste diversion and spearheaded the effort to enhance the zero-waste infrastructure. She applied for funding through University Sustainability’s Patriot Green Fund, a $100,000 per year sustainability fund, provided by Mason Facilities, to make Mason’s campuses more sustainable through infrastructure improvements and student research projects. In May 2023, the PGF Committee, which consists of students, staff, and faculty, approved the application and awarded $17,500 towards the acquisition of these new waste stations.    

To optimize their strategy and encourage behavioral change, CFA collaborated with University Sustainability staff members, including Colleen Regan, Zero Waste Specialist, and Amber Saxton, Program Manager - Campus Efficiency. They also sought the expertise of Kevin Brim, Supervisor for Recycling and Waste Management at Facilities Management. Together, they identified the most effective layout for recycling and trash stations, ensuring proper restrictive lid openings and other zero waste design standards were included to discourage contamination. The team also prioritized the aesthetics of the design and selected stainless-steel materials for the bins, ensuring their recyclability at the end of their long lifespan, estimated to be 20 years or more.  

As part of the installation, University Sustainability conducted a volunteer waste audit over the summer to establish a baseline contamination rate (9%) and will use this to evaluate improvements in recycling over this academic year. Colleen Regan recognizes the impact this project can have for improving waste diversion across campus.  

“CFA’s installation aligns with Facilities' current effort to improve zero waste design standards and guidelines across the University. Collocating waste streams and standardizing bins’ appearance through consistent labeling and color coding are all key design improvements for increasing the University community’s access to recycling. This PGF project provides a blueprint for implementing upgrades that support everyone’s ability to contribute to our zero-waste goal.” 
 
The new recycling bins have already been successfully utilized during summer orientations for the influx of new students, demonstrating their immediate impact in fostering sustainable practices. 

Learn how to dispose of your waste appropriately to make Mason even more sustainable! Your actions help the university achieve its zero-waste goal of diverting 90% (or more) of all waste items away from the trash through reuse, recycling, and composting.  

Individuals with innovative ideas to further enhance sustainability at Mason are encouraged to reach out through the Patriot Green Fund interest form. 

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2023 Employee of the Month News On-Campus Solutions Sustainability

August 2023 Facilities Employee of the Month – Colleen Regan

 

Celebrating Colleen Regan as the August 2023 Employee of the Month

Colleen did an outstanding job organizing and executing the Patriot Pack-Out (PPO) event this year, which captured unwanted items left by students as they moved out of residence halls.

  • She organized space to collect (and allow students to drop off) items during the week-long move-out period
  • She worked with the CVPA faculty to gain access to the Gillespie Gallery, where she compiled and sorted items
  • She organized faculty, staff, and student volunteers to help
  • She collaborated with 8 on-campus partner organizations that received redistributed goods for students in need; and
  • She hosted sessions for current and incoming Mason students and staff to claim goods to meet their own
  • Finally, she worked with 5 off-campus partners to receive the small number of items that campus partners and denizens did not claim.

 

Colleen's work avoided significant waste: PPO diverted over 5500 pounds of useful items from the campus waste streams at Mason's Fairfax and SciTech campuses. Almost 90% of those goods were reclaimed by members of the Mason community.

Colleen’s donation initiative – reduced Mason’s waste, decreased overall costs to Facilities and the university, and redistributed donated items to Mason students in need.

Some highlights:

  • PPO 2023’s donation collection lasted from May 1 – May
  • For the first time, Colleen expanded the event to include the Science and Technology Campus and the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, in addition to the Fairfax Campus.
  • During this year’s event, Colleen and her colleagues and volunteers collected over 5,500 pounds of useful items for redistribution to folks in need.
  • PPO 2023 hosted Mason’s first-ever Free Redistribution Event over June 26th and June 27th, where over 1,800 pounds of items were claimed by 110+ Mason students, faculty, and staff members to meet their basic needs.
  • Over 4,900 , or about 90% of the total donated items, were redistributed to Mason Patriots, to our on-campus resources, and to 5 off-campus donation partners who redistributed donated items for free to the populations they serve.
  • PPO 2023’s success is the result of Colleen’s long-term, comprehensive, and strategic redesign of PPO, which she began in spring 2022.

Colleen took the initiative to completely redesign PPO for 2023.  PPO also educates Patriots about acceptable donation items and proper waste disposal. This protects Facilities and Housing and Residence Life staff members from improper and hazardous waste disposal and prevents negative environmental impacts (such as refrigerant leakage from small refrigerators).

 

More than 50 volunteers participated in donation collection, organization, and inventorying, to support PPO 2023.  Donated and redistributed items included clothing and shoes, cookware and dishware, books and educational supplies, household goods and supplies, and much more!

And Colleen does all of this with compassion and a smile. During PPO thousands upon thousands of items were donated, collected, organized, and inventoried before being redistributed.

Interested in submitting a GMU Facilities Employee of the Month nomination? Check out the new process here!

Categories
2023 News On-Campus Solutions Sustainability

OLLI & Greenhouse and Gardens Program Summer Partnership

 

 

In Summer 2023, The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) partnered with University Sustainability to participate in the Greenhouse and Gardens program via a 6-week Sustainable Food Production class. Class instructor and Greenhouse and Gardens program manager, Donielle “Doni” Nolan designed this class alongside Potomac Heights Organic Garden coordinator Sven Jansen, to educate participants on sustainable agriculture. Topics included composting, plant identification, harvesting, and pest management! 

OLLI offers intellectual and cultural experiences in a welcoming atmosphere to Northern Virginia residents in their retirement years.  Members seek to enrich their lives through continued learning. OLLI offers daytime academic courses, special events and cultural activities in a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

When asked about her experience, OLLI participant Ednamae Trevey said “I was totally unaware that Mason had such a space here [as well as] projects and education programs. It’s been fascinating to see!”

To gauge interest, Nolan discussed the partnership with OLLI and conducted a tour of the greenhouse located near Ike’s. Nolan will also be hosting a virtual lecture about GMO’S and sustainable agriculture in this Fall, so keep an eye out for more information. She plans to continue educating OLLI participants in the upcoming years. 

“It's typically folks who are already retired and many of them are very knowledgeable and passionate,” said Nolan  “It's an incredible group and the staff are super friendly.”

To learn more about OLLI or to get involved, click here!

Categories
2023 All Together Green Facilities Management News Stable Partnerships

Giving Surplus Furniture a New Life at Another State University

Mason Facilities and Housing & Residence Life (HRL) have recently partnered with HBCU school Virginia State University to transfer surplus furniture from Mason Housing buildings. Over 850 pieces of furniture were moved to Virginia State University to furnish newly acquired spaces for the student body.

In Summer 2023, George Mason University redistributed 855 pieces of surplus furniture to Virginia State University, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). Along with being an HBCU, Virginia State is also a Publix State Agency. 

This effort was orchestrated and supported by the following Mason staff:

  • Dr. Shannon Jordan, Associate Dean & Chief Housing
  • John Rogers, Associate Director of Housekeeping from Housing and Residence Life (HRL)
  • Steven Pulis, Facilities Purchasing Manager 
  • Kevin Brim, Facilities Recycle/Waste Management Supervisor 
  • Daniel Castillo, HRL Procurement & Housing Operations Administrator

“As the Surplus Property Manager, any surplus property needs to be managed appropriately. This process is classified as ‘Re-Use’ and I am always looking to divert anything from a landfill,” said Pulis. “Finding a way to transfer the property from one agency to another as a viable solution and a ‘Win-Win’ for both Universities.” 

The redistribution of furniture was surplus from Mason Housing buildings and consisted of couches, dining chairs, coffee/end tables, and other dorm furniture. 

”Being able to repurpose materials versus landfill or incinerator is always best practice towards our Zero Waste Goals,” said Brim  “Supporting [an] HBCU school was just the icing on the cake, with the cherry on top.”

Jane Harris (Assistant Vice President for Facilities and Capital Outlay) from Virginia State University responds to the donation, “Thank you for thinking of VSU!”

Pulis looks forward to seeking additional opportunities “to assist agencies in the future in the appropriate handling of surplus property.”

Dr. Shannon Jordan is pleased with the partnership stating, “I am so happy the furniture could be given a second life at Virginia State!”

Categories
2023 All Together Green News On-Campus Solutions

Mason’s new Fuse building will be like Main Street, architect says

By Damian Cristodero

The Fuse building being constructed on George Mason University’s Mason Square in Arlington, Virginia, is to be a melting pot, of sorts, for students, faculty, entrepreneurs, and scientists.

Rob McClure seated
Fuse architect Rob McClure

At 345,000 square feet, the building will house R&D labs, classrooms, offices, corporate innovation centers, incubators, accelerators, convening spaces, and retail

With that in mind, architect Rob McClure, of the firm Page, said the core of the building was designed to feel like a Main Street.

“The planning we developed was really to encourage people to mix together in that Main Street spine with collaboration spaces on both ends,” McClure said. “So when an industry partner comes up the elevator, they don’t go straight to their space. A Mason student doesn’t go straight to their classroom. They mix together in that Main Street spine.”

READ THE FULL STORY

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2023 Employee of the Month Facilities Management News

July 2023 Facilities Employee of the Month – Jeromy Boler

 

Celebrating Jeromy Boler as the July 2023 Employee of the Month

Congratulations to Jeromy Boler, Sr. General Services Worker, Facilities Management (FM), for being recognized as the July 2023 Facilities Employee of the Month! Jeromy was nominated by FM' s General Services Supervisor, Keith Wallace.

"Jeromy Boler has worked a lot of graduations over the years with me," said Keith.  "He has always been there for George Mason University and is willing to do anything anyone asks of him, and he always has a big smile on his face."  

Jeromy has worked a lot of overtime hours for this University.  He is always putting the customer first, going above and beyond to make sure that the customer is satisfied, and asking if there is anything else that he can do to help.  Jeromy is an all-round team player with his coworker, and is well known throughout Mason. He has the team's back in the field, working hard right beside other staff, willing to learn new things, and always asking questions. 

"For all the reasons stated above, I’m honored to nominate Jeromy Boler for Facilities employee of the month," said Keith.

Interested in submitting a GMU Facilities Employee of the Month nomination? Check out the new process here!

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2023 Employee of the Month Facilities Management News Uncategorized

June 2023 Facilities Employee of the Month – Abu Monjer

 

Celebrating Abu Monjer as the June 2023 Employee of the Month

Congratulations to Abu Monjer, Mgr. Projects, Construction, Infrastructure, for being recognized as the June 2023 Facilities Employee of the Month! Monjer was nominated by Construction Superintendent, Christine Power. According to Power, since Abu joined the Mason team, he has fully utilized his Master HVAC skills, creativity, and ingenuity to find innovative solutions to a variety of University maintenance issues. 

The most recent contributions include projects at Whitetop & Rogers and The Mathy House:

  • At the Whitetop and Rogers housing buildings Monjer designed a system that when the domestic water heaters overheated, which could cause a scalding potential, these systems would be de-energized. Additionally, when this happens, he also set up the system to trigger an alarm that would be sent to the Central Heating & Cooling Plant and the Building Automation departments. 
  • At the Mathy House where the University President resides, he is contributing his knowledge, skills, and abilities to address the need to replace the HVAC Air Handlers and boiler.  This is no easy task due to a variety of elements; some of which include utilizing commercial equipment in a residential setting. 

"I can’t speak highly enough of Abu’s collaboration skills when he works with all members of the Facilities Management, admin teams, and the many university clients that we serve.  Abu recently took it upon himself to assist Rod Billones with a variety of large complex projects. He is also assisting DJ Spaulding, who is fairly new to the University, with Energy projects and to help him become better familiar with the buildings and their systems," said Power.

Abu's colleague spoke very highly of his ability to be a team player and provide detailed, intelligent, and thoughtful recommendations and actions. "This includes proper direction, technical information, and providing others with the resources they need to be successful. When Abu is working on a project or assisting others, he makes all involved parties feel that each project is equally important and that all of his attention is directed at providing a quality finished product. The Facilities Management department and the University as a whole is a better place because of Abu Mohammad Monjer’s contributions. I am honored to work alongside such a quality human being." 

Interested in submitting a GMU Facilities Employee of the Month nomination? Check out the new process here!

Categories
2023 All Together Green Culture Change News On-Campus Solutions Sustainability Sustainable Innovation

2023 Campus Race to Zero Waste Competition  

George Mason University Sustainability Competes in National Wildlife Federation’s 2023 Campus Race to Zero Waste Competition via Green Game 2023.

George Mason University Sustainability joined more than 3.4 million college students and staff across the country in a competition to reduce the campus waste footprint through minimization efforts by donating, composting and recycling more than 29.4 million pounds of waste. As a result, collectively, we have kept more than 200 million single-use plastic containers out of landfills and prevented the release of 29,108 metric tons equivalent of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, equal to avoiding the annual emissions from 6,128 cars.  

 “The impact these colleges and universities have on reducing their waste footprint is tremendous and almost hard to comprehend. To prevent the release of more than 29,000 metric tons equivalent of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and more than 200 million single-use plastics out of landfills is staggering and truly something to be proud of,” said Kristy Jones, director of higher education programs at National Wildlife Federation. “The collective efforts to minimize waste and reduce stress on natural resources is inspiring and creating a better world for wildlife and the environment.”  

“Congratulations to all participating campuses,” says Stacy Wheeler, president and co-founder of the competition. “Annually the Campus Race to Zero Waste competition provides key tools and opportunities that inspire, empower and mobilize colleges and universities to improve their efforts to benchmark and promote their zero waste practices.” 

2023 Campus Race to Zero Waste – Game Day Basketball Competition Results  

The 2023 Green Game was held on January 25, 2023, during the George Mason Patriots Women’s Basketball team vs. University of Rhode Island game with 868 fans in attendance. With the help of 21 volunteers, who completed 66 hours of service learning, Mason successfully achieved an 84.2% diversion rate, or the portion of weight not sent to the incinerator, (i.e., 41.6% compost and 42.6% recycling) through a post-game waste audit. 

Green Game was Mason’s official entry into the National Wildlife Federation’s Campus Race to Zero Waste GameDay Basketball competition. The results are in!  Check out Mason's acknowledgement from the National Wildlife Federation!

George Mason University (among 23 participants) for the Campus Race to Zero Waste GameDay Basketball Competition: 

  • 4th place Waste Diversion (84.2% diversion rate) 
  • 11th place Per Capita Recycling (0.078 lbs. per person) 

University Sustainability partnered with Mason Athletics, EagleBank Arena Operations and Events, Mason Dining (Sodexo), V&G Cleaning SVSC, Facilities Recycling and Waste Management, and volunteers at Green Game 2023. The full story can be explored here. 

Learn more about George Mason University Sustainability’s waste minimization efforts at: green.gmu.edu 

For more details about Campus Race to Zero Waste categories and winners, please visit the 2023 Scoreboard 

About Campus Race to Zero Waste 

Campus Race to Zero Waste – formerly known as RecycleMania – is the nation’s premier waste reduction and recycling competition among colleges and universities, managed by National Wildlife Federation, and governed by RecycleMania, Inc. Campus Race to Zero Waste has been helping campuses minimize waste and improve their recycling efforts, since its launch in 2001.  

University Sustainability provides leadership in environmental, social, and economic stewardship for the Mason community. As a part of Mason Facilities, we work to advance the standard for sustainability on all our campuses.  

We invite you to join us as we work towards out sustainable goals like: 

  • Eliminating single use-plastics 
  • Contributing to food security 
  • Boosting sustainable infrastructure or research projects
  • Expanding strategic sustainability initiatives (i.e., compost and solar), programs, and partnerships
  • and MORE! 

 Visit go.gmu.edu/greenvolunteering to explore how you can get involved and make a difference! 

Categories
2023 Facilities Management Human Resources News On-Campus Solutions

Mason Custodial Pilot Program Launches at Mason Square Campus

Mason Facilities is excited to announce the expansion of the Mason Custodial Pilot Program to the Mason Square campus.

In Fall 2022, Facilities launched the Mason Custodial Pilot Program at the SciTech Campus, which has since thrived.  This pilot program is helping Facilities determine whether moving to a Mason-staffed, custodial team is a more sustainable, efficient, and fair use of resources.

Facilities team members who are part of the pilot program have also seen a positive change.  “Working at George Mason University has changed my life for the better. Mason offers a great workplace environment with great benefits,” said Claudia Flores, Housekeeping Supervisor at SciTech.  “This position also offers a life insurance and 401k plan, among other benefits. I feel blessed to have a job here.”

The new, internal custodial members joining the Facilities team will start in late May.  This team will be dedicated to keeping Mason Square buildings up to cleanliness standards.

Please join us as we welcome these new team members to Facilities!

Categories
2023 All Together Green Facilities Management News On-Campus Solutions Stable Partnerships Sustainability Sustainable Innovation

Earth Month 2023 Recap

In April 2023, Mason Facilities, University Sustainability, and their university partners celebrated Earth Month! Here are a few highlights from the events that took place during the month. Remember that you can celebrate the Earth, all year round – not just in April! Thank you for helping us #sustainMASON

Earth Month 2023 Highlights: 

  • Planting Pollinators at Honey Bee Apiaries: A University Sustainability and Patriot Green Fund-financed project from the EVPP 480 STAR Sustainability in Action class planted perennial and flowering plants in a campus garden.
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  • Tree Planting behind Peterson Hall: Hosted by Mason Facilities, University Sustainability, and members of the University Arboretum Board, the April tree planting added additional specimens to Mason’s internationally accredited University Arboretum boasting more than 100+ woody plants and trees.
  • The Shape of Water: Multiple waste audits and a campus clean-up contributed an estimated 1,555 single-use plastic items, weighing 58.4 pounds to Celia Ledón’s The Shape of Water installation.
  • Farmer's Market: A Farmer's Market featuring a variety of local and regional vendors, student groups and organizations tabling to educate Mason Patriots about appropriate waste disposal.
  • Gardens and Community for your Health: As part of Spring into Well-Being's Mental Health Day programming, community members learned about the benefits of gardening for creating community and taking care of mental health.
  • Mason's Solar Greenhouse Team: The Solar Greenhouse Student Team posed for a group photo at the Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse.
  • Earth Month Tabling Events: Lakshita Dey, Civic Fellow for University Sustainability, presented on Plastics-Free initiatives throughout the month of April.
  • Sustainable Cooking Event: University Sustainability offered a hands-on, Global Rice and Beans cooking event in April. The Art as Social Action class, taught by Ben Ashworth in the School of Art, hosted the event during their class, made benches, chalk art and more for the event!
  • Weigh the Waste (WTW) Events: WTW is a partnership between Mason Dining, Student Government, and University Sustainability to educate Mason Patriots about food waste, ongoing composting efforts, and overall zero waste action at Mason.