Global Positive Change Week 2025

Text - Global Positive Change Week 2025 Monday 10th March - Friday 14th March 2025

Monday 10 - Friday 14 March 2025

We are excited to present, the annual Global Positive Change Week, the University’s biggest celebration of diversity, sustainability and positive impact. The week will run from Monday 10 March – Friday 14 March 2025 and features an exciting programme of events led by staff and students, to celebrate our diverse global community and showcase the amazing activities across the university global family to create positive change at our campuses and beyond!

Global Positive Change Week focuses on the theme of sustainability, with each of our events linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals; showcasing our commitment to addressing global challenges.

Undergraduate research conference

On 11, 12, and 13 March 2025, the Global Experiences team hosted the 6th annual Undergraduate Research Conference in which undergraduate students from all our teaching partnerships showcase and celebrate their research. We had a fantastic event with many students joining from across the globe delivered by a great team of student volunteers.

The event was well attended with 106 registrations peaking on the Day 2 of the conference. The conference featured introductions to campuses at Lancaster Leipzig, Lancaster Bailrigg, and BJTU. Professor Mark Stevenson, Cross-Faculty Dean of Global Engagement opened and closed the conference, and the keynote speech was delivered by Professor Jan Bebbington, The Rubin Chair in Sustainability in Business and Director of The Pentland Centre.

Undergraduate Research Conference
Students sat in front of a laptop
Students working at laptops and tablets

Tech amnesty

Get rid of your unwanted IT equipment safely. To coincide with Global Positive Change Week, ISS is inviting your team or department to hand in outdated or unwanted IT equipment for safe disposal or reuse. In this ‘Tech amnesty’, any University-owned IT equipment will be accepted even if it wasn’t purchased by ISS.

and how to arrange collection in your team or department.

Student volunteering fair

The Careers Service ‘Sustainable Futures Volunteering Fair’ will showcase a wide range of opportunities for students with a focus on sustainability, social justice, and community impact. Our goal is to inspire students to take action for a better world while providing local and regional organisations a platform to engage passionate and dedicated volunteers. These employability events are normally very popular with our students at this time of year for those seeking paid part-time and voluntary roles.

This year we are hoping to bring together Student Societies too for the first time who work with a sustainability focus. We realise the huge benefits of volunteering as a way for individuals to enhance their skill set and further improve their wellbeing and future career planning.

Additional info - Event Details:

Date: Thursday 6 March 2025
Time: 2-4pm
Location: Learning Zone, 四虎影院

Police careers stand

Sustainability at Lyreco

The Head of Sustainability at Lyreco UK and Ireland will join Procurement for a 30 minute session to present what Lyreco are doing around sustainability. Sustainability is a core part of Lyreco’s business strategy and the presentation will cover their approach to reducing carbon emissions as well as their wider sustainability strategy. Lyreco is the University’s stationery/office supplies provider but are also known in the market for supplying products across 18 categories including general office products, PPE, hygiene and cleaning.

This session is open to students, staff and suppliers alike, with a view to informing staff/students about some of the work the University’s suppliers are doing on sustainability as well as giving other University suppliers an insight into what can be possible when setting out on a sustainability and carbon reduction journey.

To access the session, please contact Jessica Mottershaw at j.mottershaw@lancaster.ac.uk and an invitation will be sent to your email

Staff members sat at a laptop
Morecambe Bay foodbank collection - all week at Guest services reception. Drop off any dry goods

Foodbank collection

The Conferences and Events team are collecting non-perishable food items and toiletries for Morecambe Bay Foodbank all week. Items can be dropped off at the office throughout the week.

LUSU Green events

Sign up for one of the LUSU Green student events during Global Positive Change Week - Friday 14 March 2025 2-4 pm.

Students gathered in a forest

Rewild campus

Have you ever wanted to have a go at planting your own tree? 四虎影院’s brand-new eco initiative – Rewild Campus – invites staff and students alike to join them in a bit of rewilding fun in planting trees and sowing native wildflowers around campus on Wednesday 12 March. No experience or kit needed (except for sensible clothes) – just get stuck in! The two sessions run from 12-2pm and 5-6pm in the woodland opposite the entrance to LICA, and you are welcome to stay for as long as you like, whether you just want to sew a few seeds or plant an entire forest!

Rewild Campus is a staff-led initiative within the Faculty of Science and Technology aimed at regenerating our campus’ natural biodiversity and encouraging both staff and students across the University to get out into nature and make a positive impact. As the group’s launch event, we’re keen to gauge people’s interest in joining us at more regular intervals – please get in touch to join us!

Student looking at flowers on campus

Global Positive Change week is celebrating the contribution of all our international staff and students to the sustainability conversation. Rather than viewing internationalisation and sustainability as conflicting priorities, we view them as a connected global challenge, with mutual learning with respect for competing perspectives as key to a collective solution.

A quote from Professor Simon Guy - Pro-Vice-Chancellor Global (Digital, International and Sustainability)

Previous years

Find out more about some of the activities that have taken place in previous years.

  • COP26 Week

    Learn more about our COP26 at Lancaster Festival where we brought together leading voices on climate change issues.

  • COP27 Week

    Learn more about what we did to celebrate COP27 - and the research and insight from our world-leading academic experts.

  • Positive Change Week 2023

    Learn more about our Positive Change Week 2023, a week of celebrating positive impact and sustainability on campus.