Darren Axe

Lancaster University

Green Lancaster is a partnership between Lancaster University and Lancaster Students’ Union to engage students, staff, and the local community in the climate emergency and to provide practical experience, a space for wellbeing, a voice and training on sustainability across the university.

As the Manager of Green Lancaster, I have developed from a student intern in 2009 to developing a thriving community, founding key projects such as Don’t Ditch It, ECOWoods and ECOWild, providing practical opportunities for students to get involved with sustainability, as well as driving the sustainability agenda forward at a university level.

Over my 12 years of being involved with Green Lancaster, I have worked with over 12,000 students and seen many of them develop into sustainability leaders of the future – something that brings me so much positivity and hope for future generations.

Top 3 Learnings

1. Engaging students in collaborative experience-based projects is a critical pathway to a sustainable society.
2. Learning through nature and the outdoors inspires students to be future sustainability leaders.
3. Empowering communities to be agents for change has significant outcomes on health, wellbeing, and environment.