Patriot Green Fund

For its commitment to campus sustainability, George Mason University has earned a Gold rating in the STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System) Assessment. STARS is a self-reporting framework for colleges and universities to measure their sustainability performance and is offered by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

George Mason University Facilities has installed 23 Bigbelly zero waste stations on the Fairfax and Mason Square campuses. These solar-powered stations support Mason’s recycling and composting goals through their user-friendly design, technology upgrades, and capacity-based alerts. 

The Center for the Arts on George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus has revamped its zero-waste infrastructure, thanks to the support of University Sustainability's Patriot Green Fund. Sleek new waste and recycling stations at the performing arts venue will improve Mason’s waste diversion rate, helping to reach Mason's goal of diverting at least 90% of waste from the trash.

On Saturday, October 1, 2022 Mason Exhibitions, with the support of Mason Facilities, the Patriot Green Fund (PGF), the Office of Sustainability, and community volunteers, planted 100 native hardwood tree saplings on the Fairfax Campus. This event was part of Atlantika Collective’s  current exhibition  at Mason Exhibitions Arlington. The tree planting event on Saturday was part of a socially engaged artwork,  200 Trees: A Performance Action, presented by visiting artist, Katie Kehoe.

School of Art professor Christopher Kardambikis was determined to focus his operations and curriculum on printmaking processes that are nontoxic, energy efficient, and supportive of the repurposing of paper scraps into new usable sheets.

Mechanical engineering major Chigozie Erondu may have always been passionate about robotics, but in his time at Mason, he’s developed a new passion for helping the Mason community stay sustainable.