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!