The University has been working with its Students’ Union to review its portfolio of endowment and unrestricted investments, in particular a portfolio of around £1M shares which will provide the funding for the new investments.

We are now researching companies and technologies which will positively deliver on environmental sustainability and look to become part of a fund that targets companies and novel approaches that could help provide a more sustainable future.

Last year a revolutionary partnership designed to encourage eco-friendly lifestyles won Lancaster University Students’ Union a prestigious national award.

LUSU received the National Union of Students’ Green Impact Excellence Award – and was one of a handful of unions to receive the top grade of ‘outstanding’ – for its work with Lancaster University to launch the Green Lancaster Behaviour Change Group. The group’s mission is to drive all staff and students to adopt eco-friendly habits like eating locally-grown food, cycling, walking or using public transport instead of driving, recycling as much as possible and being mindful of energy efficiency. The group is working to embed environmental responsibility in the curriculum with the goal of making Lancaster an international leader in higher education sustainability.

Lancaster has launched many carbon reduction projects winning several major environmental awards, and has been particularly praised for its innovative wind turbine project, which generates approximately 15 per cent of the University’s annual electricity consumption.

The University works innovatively with its Student Union to engage students in sustainability through an initiative called Green Lancaster which encourages and embeds sustainable behaviours to reduce carbon emissions, energy and resource consumption associated with University activities and operations.