George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia Environmental Education and Outreach

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1 George Mason University Fairfax, Virginia Environmental Education and Outreach SCHOOL George Mason University, in Fairfax County, Virginia, is a public four-year research institution. Current enrollment is over 32,000 headcount, with over 22,000 in full-time equivalent. ABSTRACT The Mason Sustainability Institute (MSI) is an extension of George Mason University s Office of Sustainability. MSI provides sustainability-oriented education and skills development for George Mason University and its surrounding communities. The cost of running this organization is currently around $17,000 a year, with the majority of the funding allocated for a Program Coordinator position. The program is not oriented towards operational savings; rather, it is educational. The numbers that we do possess involve the number of participants. GOALS AND OUTCOMES Goals When it was established, MSI s goal was to strengthen networks between the City of Fairfax, the County of Fairfax, and other neighboring counties in workforce and education development for professionals, high schools, and community agencies. MSI sought to offer classes and workshops on sustainability issues to help participants apply this knowledge into their everyday lives. For the future, MSI hopes to serve as a hub for communication between different organizations, businesses, and individuals to better serve regional goals for sustainability. MSI continues to broaden partnerships by collaborating with these organizations on a variety of different projects and programs, as well as continue to offer workshops and classes for the Northern Virginia region. Accomplishments and Outcomes The Mason Sustainability Institute successfully hosted several workshops and a certification course this year. The average size for the workshops was 14 participants, with certain topics drawing 30 or more participants. The workshops that MSI hosted include: Save the Bats with Leslie Sturges of the Save Lucy Campaign; Green Cleaning Solutions with Diane Blust of Sustainable Reston; Backyard Hen Keeping with Ed Fendley and Tom Carter of The Arlington EGG Project; Make Your Own Tumbling Composter with ReBuild and Northern Virginia Soil and Watner Conservation District; Compost for Healthy Soil and Gardening with Dan Schwartz from NVSWCD and Jennifer Beidel, a George Mason University student; Energy Efficiency at Home with Stephen Lackey from Dominion Energy s Energy Conservation Branch and Stan Lassiter, General Manager of Commonwealth Sustainability Works; Basic Organic Vegetable Gardening with Adria Bordas from the Virginia Tech Extension Service; Waste Minimization with Pamela Gratton, Recycling Manager for Fairfax County and Ashlea Smith with the Alice Ferguson Foundation; Bike Maintenance with Tyler Orton, Bicycle and Recycling Programs Coordinator at George Mason University; and Introduction to Permaculture with George Mason University s Office of Sustainability Program Director Danielle Wyman. Over Spring Break, MSI offered a 72-Hour Permaculture Design

2 Certification Course with Reverend Marjani Dele where 22 participants earned their certification in Permaculture Design and had the opportunity to earn Continuing Education Units through the Office of Continuing Professional Education. Over 200 people have taken part in MSI activities, projects, and programs during MSI workshops provided people with a hands-on approach to learning and were delivered in an accessible manner. The costs associated with these workshops were very small as the majority of the instructors volunteered their time to teach. The only recurring cost associated with the MSI was for the Program Coordinator position. This person was responsible for logistics and program management for workshops and other community events. Efforts of the Mason Sustainability Institute have resulted in two permaculture installations on George Mason University s campus, a broadening of environmental networks in Northern Virginia, and the creation of an affordable workshop series that all members of the Northern Virginia area can participate in. Challenges and Responses One of the biggest challenges that the Mason Sustainability Institute faced was that we did not have a blueprint for how a nonprofit such as ours should be run. Much of our beginning work focused on trial and error mentality; however, due to the fact that there is no organization like ours in the Northern Virginia area, we have been able to do activities that were previously unavailable to Fairfax residents. Other conflicts that have developed include lack of space, and problems with communication and building our network. While lack of space is an issue that MSI continues to struggle with, communication and network-building has improved as the organization has developed with time and an increasing use of social media to advertise. Campus Climate Action: Your School s Carbon Footprint The Mason Sustainability Institute indirectly addressed global climate change through workshops addressing energy consumption and sustainability. These workshops encourage Northern Virginia residents to make lasting changes in their lives to combat fuel consumption and adopt sustainable energy solutions into their homes. Our workshops related to sustainable food practices also addressed the role factory farming and processed foods have on carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas production. Commentary and Reflection The Mason Sustainability Institute is a valuable asset to Northern Virginia because there is no other program like it in the area. The MSI has enabled the Office of Sustainability to gather dedicated individuals together to discuss topics and issues of which we are all extremely passionate about, and brainstorm lasting, sustainable solutions for the area. The MSI has fostered a strong sense of community around environmental stewardship between Mason and non-mason individuals. Mason students, staff, and faculty have enjoyed the opportunity to interact with the City of Fairfax and Fairfax County neighbors in an educational setting. It is the hope of MSI that they can continue to grow their program and make it more widely available to Northern Virginia residents. ENGAGEMENT AND SUPPORT Leaders and Supporters George Mason University s Office of Sustainability provides resources, financial support, and personnel 2

3 support (including interns). Lenna Storm, sustainability manager, is a major guiding force for the Mason Sustainability Institute. George Mason University s Office of Continuing and Professional Education provides continuing education unites and certifications for some of our courses. Lauren Wheeler, LEED AP, Expert in Sustainable Landscape Design, Principle Designer of Natural Resources Design, Inch: NRD, Inc was formed to unite the region s ecosystem and the environment, and will teach workshops in landscaping for ecosystem health in Virginia, permaculture, and native gardening for wildlife. Green Acres Community Center: This center belongs to the City of Fairfax, and has been made available to the Mason Sustainability Institute free of charge for programs relating to initial coursework and workshops. New Century College and the Environmental Science and Policy Department at George Mason University: New programs will be developed for course credit that require a minimum number of hours of experiential learning coursework through the Mason Sustainability Institute. Professors will work with the Institute to establish new workshops with local impact on small business. Associate Director Heather Hare is a member of MSI s steering committee. ReBuild: ReBuild is a local community organization that works to strengthen the environmental, economic, and social fabric of local communities. ReBuild works with the Mason Sustainability Institute to provide workshop speakers and classes. City of Fairfax, Fairfax County: Fairfax City and County already have a number of programs available to citizens through the Park Authority, the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District, and the Department of Public Works and Environmental Sciences. Non-Profit Organizations: MSI works closely with non-profit organizations in the region, including Fairfax ReLeaf, Earth Sangha, Fairfax Master Naturalists, Fairfax County Restoration Project, and Virginia Native Plant Society. Local Businesses: Mason Sustainability Institute partners with local businesses to promote sustainable practices, as well as network with them to bring in new consumers. Our partnerships with local businesses, including Main Street Bagel and Deli, have helped reduce food waste. We have also worked with the restaurant Everlasting Life Café for catering our events, and to bring a Fairfax offshoot of the restaurant to campus. This vegan restaurant will be opening a location on Mason s Fairfax campus in early

4 Community Groups: Groups such as the Arlington Coalition for Sensible Transportation and the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia partner with our organization to participate in workshops and find more information about sustainable living. We also work with community groups to bring in speakers and give presentations. Examples include the Save Lucy Campaign of Annandale, Virginia, who gave a presentation on bat conservation, and the Arlington Egg Project of Arlington, Virginia, who taught community members how to work with the city government to allow backyard hen-raising. The group We Are Nature s Friends connected the Mason Sustainability Institute with Reverend Marjani Dele, who taught the Permaculture Design Certification Course offered through the Office of Continuing Professional Education in George Mason University Community Relations and Tracy Claar is the Director of Community Relations at George Mason University serves on the Mason Sustainability Institute s Steering Committee. Funding and Resources The Mason Sustainability Institute was initially funded by a $35,000 grant from the Dominion Foundation that helps pay for the costs of resources as well as Program Coordinator Jennifer Upton s position. In addition to this grant, Sustainability Manager Lenna Storm and Sustainability Projects Specialist Danielle Wyman s salaries were paid for by George Mason University, and the hourly pay for interns who assisted with projects for MSI were also paid for by George Mason University. Spaces for workshops were provided by George Mason University and Green Acres Community Center free of charge. Some more costly workshops and the Permaculture Design Certification Course had a fee that participants paid to cover the funds needed to run the workshops. Education and Community Outreach Outreach was carried out by advertising the Mason Sustainability Institute at new student orientations, through social media and through online advertising via and Google groups. Individual workshops were also advertised regularly at different student groups, such as the Environmental Action Group and Mason Green Patriots. Workshops were also made known to individuals via fliers and word of mouth. The local community showed interest in our workshops, and we even had participants travel from North Carolina and Maryland to attend the Permaculture Design Certification Course. CONTACT INFORMATION Contacts Lenna Storm, Sustainability Manager. (703) , [email protected] Danielle Wyman, Sustainability Projects Coordinator. (703) , [email protected] Jennifer Souther, Sustainability Intern. (703) , [email protected], Graduating May Case study submitted by: Jennifer Souther, Sustainability Intern Graduating May 2013, [email protected] MORE ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL Campus Sustainability History George Mason University faculty, staff, and students formed an Environmental Task Force in the mid 2000s to start a dialogue with the university administration about the need for Mason to take a leadership role in sustainability by demonstrating sustainable operations and by providing sustainability 4

5 education. From the seeds of this dialogue sprung the desire to sign the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment and to create a formal administrative role to support university sustainability. The Office of Sustainability at George Mason University was formed two years ago, in summer of 2007, with the hiring of the first Sustainability Coordinator. Now, Mason s sustainability efforts spring up, without prompting, across all campuses, and can be seen in projects like the new organic vegetable garden, the first all-native plant demonstration garden, the commitment to building all buildings to the LEED Silver standard, the commitment to sustainable dining practices, and the formation of a Faculty Fellow for Sustainability Curricula out of the Office of the Provost, among many others. Find out more about Mason s programs and activities at Image Credit: Jennifer Souther, Office of Sustainability, George Mason University 5