George Mason University

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George Mason University offers at least one wellness meal at every breakfast, lunch and dinner served at the three campus dining halls. Wellness meals meet all PHA food and nutrition criteria and are promoted daily with signage and a sample plate at point of presentation.

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George Mason University purchases a variety of locally sourced products grown, raised or produced within 250 miles of the campus. Milk, honey and a range of seasonal produce items are purchased locally and served daily in the resident dining halls. All seafood served is sustainable and coffee is fair trade and organic. In addition, an on-campus greenhouse, two Urban Cultivator, herb-growing units in the dining halls, and a partnership with the local hydroponic, Zeponic farms provide freshly harvested lettuces and herbs.

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The George Mason University Red Dogwood and Yellow Birch trails connect, offering up to 4.2 miles of marked walking trail on campus. The Yellow Birch is a 1.6 mile circular trail with distance markers every 0.2 miles. The Red Dogwood trail is an out and back path that offers an additional 1.3 miles of trail each way and features distance markers, a directional arrow or a trail map every 0.2 miles.

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George Mason University offers a total of 5 miles of marked bicycle lanes throughout the campus, including 3.38 miles of roadway bike lanes, 0.43 miles of shared lanes and 1.2 miles of off-street shared bike and pedestrian paved pathway, running along the Red Dogwood Trail.

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George Mason University incentivizes the use of public and campus provided transportation through a variety of programs, including a free campus shuttle system, transit benefits for employees, carpool discounts and reserved parking, vanpool and cycling incentives, Patriot Lift for those with mobility impairments and an emergency ride home service for faculty and staff. The Mason Shuttle transit system was utilized by more than 630,000 students, faculty and staff in FY 2016 and more than 500 individuals benefitted from the other transportation incentives in the fall of that year.

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George Mason University offers a wide variety of recreation, physical activity/movement and competitive sports opportunities each academic year, including 21 group fitness and well-being classes, five fitness competitions, 17 unique intramural activities, 27 club sports and a range of outdoor activities and events, such as hiking and backpacking.

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George Mason University’s weekly well-being classes provide opportunities for walking, yoga, Pilates and meditation. Each semester all martial arts and self defense classes are offered free of charge for one week. Fitness events and promotions, like the Indoor Triathlon, Be My Fit Valentine and Outdoor Challenge, as well as online workout tutorial videos, encourage students to try new activities and provide information and techniques for new health and fitness trends.

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In December 2013, George Mason University’s Board of Visitors approved a new 10-year strategic plan for the University, listing “Well-Being” as one of the twelve strategic goals. The resulting Well-Being University initiative has helped focus efforts to ensure students, faculty and staff build a life of vitality, purpose, resilience and engagement. The Well-Being University Learning Communities, made up of more than 45 university leaders, faculty, staff, and students, lead the initiative and support a range of academic courses, programs and well-being events. One recent outcome of the initiative is the incorporation of nutrition and physical movement into the RA training program as a strategy to bring increased resources and opportunities for nutrition and physical activity to students.

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George Mason University has implemented a variety of programs and policies to support breastfeeding on campus. All employees who are nursing mothers are provided with reasonable break time for expressing breast milk during working hours. Six separate lactation rooms are available for faculty, staff, students and visitors. The University also provides support groups and identifies parenting and pregnancy resources to help nursing mothers understand their benefits and available options.