Last year, amidst the doom and gloom of the pandemic, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) achieved a triumphant victory by being the first carbon-neutral university in the UK. The LSE is continuously thriving to promote and endorse newer sustainability ventures.

If you are a part of the LSE community, you might have already adapted to these. For incoming members of the LSE community, here are the five sustainability measures that the LSE is adopting to be more sustainable.

Rooftop gardens

Nowadays, almost all of us have to suppress the urge to sit in a park or green space with the sun smiling at us frequently. In the hustle and bustle of lectures, seminars, and Q&As, such urges remain unattainable. However, visiting one of the rooftop gardens right on the LSE campus may help cope with the longing for green spaces. The Old Building, the New Academic Building (NAB), St. Clement’s Building, East Building, the LSE Student Union, and the very latest edition of the Marshall building — all of these spaces have rooftop gardens that offer a glimpse of green in the midst of grey, black and white. Through this initiative, LSE is not only maintaining the highest environmental standards in the buildings but also contributing to the improvement of air quality, reduction of pollution and enhancement of biodiversity. Talk about sustainability 101!

The LSE merchandise and catering

Sustainable practices are encouraged across LSE. Around 40% of the hot drinks are sold in reusable cups on LSE campus to reduce the usage of single-use plastic cups. This practice isn’t only limited to campus. Through various coffee and cookies events, LSE residence halls also encourage residents to bring their own cups. To make sure that students are encouraged to continue this practice, many of the departments include a reusable coffee cup and a water bottle in their merchandise. When it comes to catering, the campus has two vegetarian and vegan cafés serving food.

Know your bins

The colours of sustainable waste management are prevalent at LSE. One needs to know their bins and which colour is designated for which kinds of waste. Apart from the campus, LSE residence halls also have their sustainability teams who run campaigns and encourage sustainable choices. The waste in the residence halls is also separated. Based on best practices, the flats are further rewarded. To encourage the continuation of such practices, small rewards are given. I can vouch for how good the chocolate bars taste as my flat received a small prize for sustainable waste management!

 Bike and hike

 Right outside the Old Building, LSE has docking stations for the Santander bikes. Other than that, Sardinia Street and Portugal Street also have docking stations. Through a cycle scheme, the LSE staff can save around 33% on the cost of a new bike. There are 756 open access and 243 indoor cycle parking spaces with access restricted to LSE students and staff.

Other than that, when the weather is better and the sun is shining, walking is also encouraged. What better way to know a new city than walking around? 

Green shelf

Sustainability is slowly getting integrated into different LSE programs. Recently, LSE has started an initiative called the green shelf where one can donate books. This encourages the sustainable practice of recycling. The green shelf is also a great way to learn more about the literature on sustainability and is situated near the Social Policy Common Room in the Old Building.

Visit Sustainable LSE for more information on sustainability at LSE.