Our beautiful 560-acre campus is situated in green parkland, 3 miles from Lancaster city centre. Sustainability is at the heart of our campus plan with more than 25,000 trees, 6.5 miles worth of hedgerows, new buildings that reduce environmental impact, our ECOHub allotment and orchard, and plenty of green spaces to relax and socialise with friends.
Alongside our renewable energy and carbon initiatives, we want our campus to be an inspiring and sustainable place to live, work and study. Our outdoor spaces have received the Green Flag Award for the twelfth year in a row – the international benchmark for the quality of green spaces. From “No Mow Zones” to allow wildflowers to flourish, to picnic areas and our very own lake to relax beside.
Biodiversity on campus
ReStore Lancaster is a new sustainable store in the heart of campus, which will see Lancaster University, working in partnership with St John’s Hospice and Green Lancaster. 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.
ReStoreThe 150-year-old woodland that surrounds campus is accessible to students, staff and the local community and is home to 2.6 miles of Trim Trail. A stretch of outdoor exercise stations with several points to hop on or off... But it's also great for a nice relaxed stroll to explore nature.
Through collaboration between the Grounds team and students from the Hedgehog Friendly Campus society, Lancaster University has achieved a Gold rating for being a Hedgehog Friendly Campus – one of the top universities in the UK. We have 19 hedgehog champions and many of our Grounds team took part in hedgehog training to ensure we can protect these animals. Our activities include:
The Green Lancaster ECOHub is a 4000m2 nature-based garden on South West Campus, with a focus on sustainable agricultural production, and run with the help of staff and student volunteers. The site is home to 40 raised planting beds, a fruit tree orchard, greenhouses and beehives. The goal of the ECOHub is to produce local, healthy, organic produce all year around, with a “0 food miles” distribution focus.
Since the University declared a climate emergency in 2020, the capital development programme has been reshaped to dramatically reduce the impact that new-build developments have on the environment. As the University continues to grow, we are being smarter with space - repurposing existing spaces and adapting the way we work for the good of the planet.
Sustainable Estates Strategy