Just some of the ways that students can get involved with sustainability and make a difference at Lancaster University.
Each year we host a Positive Change Week, a week of sustainable events and celebration of sustainability on campus to inspire students, staff and the wider community to take action for a better future. Find out what happened during the last Positive Change Week.
Positive Change Week
Lancaster's Students' Union supports societies that offer a wide range of practical ways for our students to get involved with environmental sustainability.
LUSU Green is the home for sustainability volunteering, events and campaigns based in the Students’ Union. They aim to support students on their sustainability journey at Lancaster and empower them to help take action on the climate and ecological crises.
LUSU Green.png)
Don’t Ditch It is Lancaster University’s student-powered reuse project, reducing move-out waste, supporting charity partners, creating paid student roles and helping students live more sustainably. Every year the Don’t Ditch It project collects more than 20 tonnes of unwanted items from students across campus and diverts them from landfill to be repurposed and resold in ReStore Lancaster or donated to charities.
Don't Ditch It
If you are interested in gaining work experience or have a research project idea linked to sustainability, please contact us and we will let you know about any opportunities.
Email: Sustainability.png)
In 2026, a team of students who took part in this year’s ECO Challenge earned a paid internship and funding from the University, to develop their idea at Lancaster. Four Bowland students secured the prize with their concept for a car‑sharing app designed to help students arrange safe, convenient lifts to and from campus. Their pitch focused on cutting single‑occupancy car journeys and promoting sustainable travel by tackling common barriers such as trust, convenience and cost.
The SHAPE project is a project run with SOS-UK and the British Academy during 2024. Aimed at students from arts, humanities, business and social sciences, students on the project work together in small interdisciplinary groups to solve real-life sustainability challenges.
ReStore Lancaster is a new sustainability store concept where Lancaster University is working in partnership with St John’s Hospice. The shop is a combination of a charity shop with donated items for sale, alongside selling affordable and eco-friendly products to the campus community. Students can volunteer with the shop and in January 2024, they hosted a Sorting Saturday event, where students could learn more about volunteering with the hospice and gain points towards the Lancaster Award.
.jpg)
Lancaster University Library hosts various exhibitions and events linked to sustainability each year that students can visit and join in with. One example was a showcase in collaboration with academics in Lancaster Environment Centre to coincide with Fascination of Plants Day 2024.
.jpg)
Our bike hire scheme launched in 2023, and offers Lancaster University students the convenience of cycling without the expense of owning your own bike, or the hassle of cycle maintenance. The bike scheme is designed specifically for Lancaster University students, with a range of bikes available for termly rental throughout the year.
