LSE halls go green!

If you live in LSE halls, you’re part of a community that’s been quietly doing great things for the planet for a long time. Since 2010, at least one LSE hall has earned a Green Impact award every single year – an impressive streak in a busy, energy-hungry city like London.

Over the years, Bankside House, Butler’s Wharf, Carr-Saunders, High Holborn, Passfield Hall and Rosebery Hall have all been involved, helping to make LSE accommodation greener and more community–minded.

What is Green Impact?

Green Impact is LSE’s sustainability scheme that brings staff and students together to make everyday life in halls and on campus more environmentally friendly. Each team works through a set of practical actions, collects points and aims for awards from Bronze up to Platinum.

Run in partnership with Students Organising for Sustainability, the programme is about turning big climate ambitions into small, realistic changes – switching off lights, cutting food waste in shared kitchens, or running a clothes swap in your common room. On their own these actions seem simple, but together they shift how we live and study at LSE.

What does Green Impact look like in halls?

In halls, Green Impact is all about what happens in your shared spaces day to day. Here is a flavour of what some of the activities have included:

• Swap shops or donation drives so unwanted clothes, books or kitchenware are reused rather than binned
• Clearer recycling and food waste points, plus reminders to use them properly
• Promoting more plant-based and low-carbon food options in catered halls
• Events like repair sessions, sustainable living workshops or film nights themed around climate and social justice

Most projects are led by hall staff and students who volunteer for their hall’s Green Impact or sustainability team, so the ideas come from the people who actually live there.

Want to get involved? Join LSE’s Green Impact sustainability programme and help shape what happens in your hall.

Celebrating at the Celebration of Sustainability

Each year, LSE brings together Green Impact teams from across the School for the Celebration of Sustainability. It’s a chance for departments and halls to showcase what they’ve done and receive their Green Impact awards.

Take a look at the awards and achievements of Green Impact winners and inspiring individuals on LSE’s Celebrating Sustainability page.

For halls, it’s a moment to recognise the small everyday actions and bigger campaigns that have made a difference to life in the building, all contributing to LSE’s wider sustainability journey.

So next time you recycle your takeaway container or bring a reusable mug to breakfast, remember: you’re helping your hall keep that Green Impact streak going.