Mason Undergoes Greening Process

By Broadside Correspondent Dan Waxman

We often hear buzzwords in classrooms or in the media such as “sustainability,” “carbon footprint” and “renewable energy.” This series is designed to help clarify some of these terms and also to talk about what Mason is doing to become more environmentally sustainable.

Some of the upcoming articles will feature new and innovative projects from the Office of Housing and Residence Life, academic departments, Office of Sustainability, All University Card Office, Print Services, and the Child Development Center.

One should note that the Office of Sustainability, in particular, provides consultation to all departments of the university regarding sustainability initiatives and efforts.

The “Living the Green Life” section will be promoting opportunities for involvement and ways you can be more sustainable.

Finally, the “Green Calendar” will feature sustainable events going on around campus.

Because this series is about sustainability, it is critical for us to define what sustainability really means to us as a university.

Sustainability is often referred to as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

On a college campus like ours, this means using fewer resources for our present campus life, but also means educating ourselves and planning for the future.

Often when assessing the value of sustainability projects, sustainability professionals utilize what author John Elkington called “triple bottom line,” which examines the social, environmental and economical impacts of the project.

This triple bottom line approach asks: How does a project affect people? How does a project affect our planet? and How does this project affect our economic welfare?

These are all factors that are considered when making decisions about ways to make Mason a better steward for our local, regional, and global communities.

Dan Waxman is the Sustainability Projects Manager for University Services and can be contacted at dwaxman@gmu.edu

Know a green event that is coming soon, or want more information about sustainability? E-mail the Sustainability Office at gogreen@gmu.edu.