Sustainability at LUU
Go green with LUU
We know that to empower you to make a difference, we have a responsibility to make sustainability as easy and accessible as possible for you.
From sustainability initiatives and environmental campaigns, to our plant-based food and drink options, we’re here to help you go green.
Clubs & Societies
Did you know that we have a Green Action Co-op where you can pick up ethical, low-waste food essentials? This society is all about taking practical action on environmental, social, and political issues.
Have you seen the plants in our very green LUU lobby? Plant Society takes care of those. They also hold regular plant swaps, macrame workshops, terrarium workshops, as well as visits to incredible gardens and glasshouses around the country.
Litter Picking Scheme
You can borrow litter picking equipment from LUU to help you or your club or society to organise a local litter pick. You just need to email Emily at e.noble@leeds.ac.uk to arrange picking up and returning of the equipment.
Come along to our monthly group litter pick and get a free coffee and a cake for your hard work!
A week of environmental action
Talk to your leaders
LUU’s lead Student Exec Officers for sustainability matters are your Union Affairs and Communications Officer, and your Wellbeing Officer.
For sustainability and your school or course, look for your Course and School Rep. For sustainability and intersectional or liberation issues, talk to a Liberation Coordinator. If you want to develop your club or society, talk to the Activities Exec for your area.
Check out the nationwide group, Students Organising for Sustainability, part of the National Union of Students, to discover more about their climate activism, research and events!
Have your say
Got an idea to improve sustainability within the Union, the University, or the wider City? Get involved with Better Forums!
Any Idea passed at Better Forums become a policy commitment for LUU to pursue within the next 4 years.
The Student Sustainability Advisory Board exists to guide LUU’s thinking on all things sustainability, advising our activity and championing sustainability-focused policies and campaigns. It also approves grant funding applications for the Sustainability Fund.
The Board is composed of student volunteer board members, Sustainability Reps, University of Leeds Sustainability Team staff, and is led by Exec Officers.
The board is currently full. Check back next academic year to express your interest.
Sustainability Reps
As an LUU Sustainability Rep, you have the opportunity to take action on an issue you are passionate about, by leading your own sustainability project with support from the Exec and the LUU team. You can also play a crucial role in our delivery of big campaigns such as Climate Week, and advise on policy through our Better Forums process – making a lasting impact on LUU during your time as a rep. This is a great opportunity to develop your skills in project management and campaign delivery, gain insight into how a large organisation operates, all while making a tangible impact on our environment and community.
How to apply:
As an appointed rep, you can find apply for the role on our jobsite, at the start of the academic year.
Sustainability reps 2022/23:
Ben Harris – Food Waste and Recycling
Amy Stubbins – Connecting with Nature for Wellbeing
Jodie Rhoden – Fast Fashion and the Circular Economy
Polly Boor – Student Engagement with Sustainability
Plastic recycling on campus
LUU is home to a Terracycle ring carrier recycling point for staff, students and members of the public.
Ring carriers – the stretchy plastic that holds multipacks of cans together – are highly damaging to the environment, both in terms of single-use plastics and harm to wildlife who can become caught in the loops. Every ring carrier we collect will be sent back to Terracycle and turned into new plastic products – all you need to do is drop them off at our collection point in Old Bar.
You can also recycle soft plastics at Co-op. Co-op accepts the type of plastic you can squish without it snapping back to its original shape, e.g. not plastic tubs but plastic bags.
Chewing gum recycling bins
We have chewing gum recycling bins, provided by Gumdrop Ltd. Find them in three locations: the main entrance to the foyer, across from the night bus waiting area; the entrance beside Waki Maki/Green Action Coop; and the back entrance to Common Ground.
The bins themselves are made of recycled chewing gum. Once full, Gumdrop will collect the gum to recycle it into notebooks, pencils, and even shoes.
LUU's Sustainability Strategy
Here at LUU we’re continually working to make everything we do as sustainable as possible. Against the backdrop of a global climate crisis, we believe it is essential that, as an organisation, we do everything we can to contribute towards a more environmentally sustainable way of life.
That’s why we’re embedding climate-friendly design as one of our core guiding principles. Every decision we make is informed by how we can enrich our environment and empower our students to do the same.
Green Impact Excellence 2022/23
“The work that Leeds University Union has done on GISU has been outstanding this year! The staff and sustainability reps have been keeping themselves very busy by working on a variety of projects such as community composting, swap shops, signage and comms, and gardening for mental health. This year has also been their most successful Climate Week campaign to date and have already started planning for next year! Not to mention, the support they are giving to societies through sustainability training and activity funding. I honestly can’t wait to see what 2024 brings for LUU, it was a pleasure to meet Beth, Emily and Maria! Keep up the good work!” – Green Impact
Fresh Start Sustainability survey
Take a look at what our students said about sustainability in LUU (March 2023).
SOS Sustainability Skills survey
Students care about sustainability. View the most recent research into students’ experiences of teaching and learning on sustainable development.
