Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE)

It’s common to think of Indigenous peoples as living in the past. We may think of them around Thanksgiving or in old films and books. But Native Americans are very much here and now, said Jeremy Campbell, and after decades of struggle, that’s starting to be recognized.

In 2018, U.S. legislation granted federal recognition to six tribes in Virginia. A George Mason University team has been partnering with two of them, the Upper Mattaponi and Chickahominy nations, as they embark on being sovereign nations.

John Kotcher, research assistant professor at Mason’s Center for Climate Change Communication, says that emphasizing the health implications of climate change is one of best ways to engage the public to fight for better policies.

Mason students attended a screening of the documentary “Guardians of the Forest” and the talkback with leaders of the Maijuna indigenous group in Peru, who were featured in the film.

This spring a small team of George Mason University students used the Patriot Green Fund to enhance the diversity of the university’s Honey Bee Pollinator Garden. This garden, which sits outside of Roberts House on the Mason’s Fairfax Campus, serves as a biodiverse pollinator haven for the bees currently residing nearby in one of the Honey Bee Initiative’s apiaries.

Sponsored by the Institute for a Sustainable Earth (ISE) and the Business for a Better World Center, the 17 Rooms-U produced dozens of ideas, some of which were combined during follow-up conversations. Groups championing those ideas are now receiving up to $5,000 in seed money to implement their sustainability plans.

Mason professor Kerri LaCharite writes and teaches about sustainable food systems, urban agriculture and the effects of agriculture-based learning on eating behaviors.

On April 21, 2015, Mason held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Presidents Park Hydroponic Greenhouse and served greenhouse-grown food as a part of the celebration.

The National Geographic Society has awarded its most prestigious honor, the 2022 Hubbard Medal, to the late Thomas Lovejoy, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to conservation biology and, specifically, to the understanding and protection of the Amazon rainforest.

George Mason University will bring its array of resources and expertise to bear in the state’s efforts to increase resilience to the impacts of climate change with the creation of the Virginia Climate Center.

Solving climate change is a grand challenge facing the planet. As more individuals and leaders are recognizing the need to switch to environmentally friendly practices, George Mason University’s Local Climate Change Planning Initiative (LCCPI) is helping make that a reality for counties across Virginia.

“Our vision is to have Mason be the lead university in helping counties that lack the resources and expertise in [addressing climate change] get this done,” said Paul Bubbosh, a 1988 Mason alumnus and adjunct professor at the Schar School and College of Science.