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Join our Student Sustainability Ambassadors Programme to develop valuable leadership skills, make friends and create a meaningful impact on our campus and the planet!
Applications for 2025-26 ambassador roles are now open. Make sure you are signed up to our newsletter and follow our Instagram to stay updated.
Together we can make #ChangePossible.
Are you eager to enhance your sustainability skills and boost your CV? Want to meet likeminded students and make our campus greener? Our Ambassadors Programme connects you with fellow students and staff who share a passion for sustainability. Working together, you will develop innovative sustainability initiatives to inspire positive change across the campus and support your development as a sustainability leader.
How does the programme work?
We recruit passionate students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, who want to make change possible at UCL and develop skills in project management, sustainability, teamwork, communications, and leadership.
No prior knowledge of sustainability is required. Training will be provided on sustainability and behaviour change and students will be supported throughout the year with a member of staff. We want students to gain valuable experience which they can take into the world beyond UCL.
Students will receive a certificate and points on their Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) once they have completed 20 hours of volunteering. The programme starts in October and finishes in May. The role is flexible, but Ambassadors must clearly communicate with their staff member their commitments ahead of the project and throughout, to ensure completion of the project.
> Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).
Vegan food tasting, climate discussions and environmental movie screenings will be on offer for students to connect, share ideas and make friends!
What do Sustainability Ambassadors do?
Sustainability Ambassadors join staff members to assist them in making the university more sustainable. There are various project groups across some of the different areas of sustainability at UCL.
- Green Impact
Work with UCL staff to complete UCL’s Green Impact toolkit. Green Impact is a sustainability programme, providing a toolkit for staff to complete actions and make their faculties, departments, and work areas more sustainable. You will be asked to complete a project in Term 1 - this could be a piece of research, planning events, or making communication materials. You will then present your work to the UCL Green Champions network (our network of sustainability-minded staff) to share your knowledge to the UCL community. In Term 2, you will help your team to collate evidence of their sustainability actions and work through the Green Impact toolkit.
- Circular Economy and Waste Strategy
Purchasing and consumption can have far reaching impacts; production drives natural resource depletion and poor working conditions, whilst waste disposal pollutes natural habitats. As a leading university, we are rethinking our behaviours to address unsustainable consumption.
Help UCL reduce our waste impact. In the circular economy and waste strategy project group you will develop an understanding of waste strategy, the waste hierarchy and circular economy principles. You will help UCL improve its waste impact through research-based or engagement-based projects on campus.
- Food Sustainability Ambassador
Work with UCL’s catering providers to develop sustainable food initiatives.
> View Sustainable Food and Drink.
- Communications, Content and Engagement
Help to deliver and communicate sustainability activities and events. Assist with the coordination and delivery of the 28 Days of Sustainability programme.
> Read more about 28 Days of Sustainability.
- Biodiversity
The ecological emergency is as pressing an issue as climate change. UCL has recognised this by having ‘Wild UCL’ as one of six campaigns in the UCL Sustainability Plan 2025-2035, with commitments to better understand local and global biodiversity impacts resulting from UCL activities and to take steps to reduce that impact and where possible, develop positive steps and approaches UCL can take for nature and biodiversity.
Working with the Wild UCL Lead, you will develop programmes and engagement tools that can be used to engage the UCL community in biodiversity and nature. We might be an urban campus, but there are pockets of green spaces all around us and we want to find ways to connect the UCL community with the outdoors and nature around them.
> View Wild UCL.
What's in it for you?
- Develop your sustainability skills to boost your CV and receive 1-1 careers guidance from sustainability professionals;
- Grow your network and connections with other likeminded students;
- Inspire the UCL community to create positive and meaningful change;
- Bring your ideas to create a better place for people and planet;
- Receive recognition for your achievements;
- Help make change possible, so that UCL can continue to be a leader in sustainability across the Higher Education sector;
- Be guranteed a place on the Sustainability Leadership Programme and receive access to exclusive training workshops;
- Make friends and have fun!
How can I apply?
Please complete the short application form to apply. The application window for 2025-26 will open Friday 26th September and close Sunday 12th October. You will receive an email with the outcome of your application in the week commencing Monday 13th October.
All UCL students, both undergraduates and postgraduates, can apply to be a student ambassador. Previous sustainability knowledge and experience isn't necessary; however, it is a competitive programme, and applicants will be scored on their commitment and passion for sustainability.
We believe that diversity is at the heart of sustainability. We’re looking for individuals who bring a rich tapestry of experiences and perspectives, because we understand that tackling global environmental challenges requires a diverse approach. Whether you're passionate about climate change, conservation, social equity, or just curious about how you can contribute to a more sustainable future, we welcome your application. We are committed to equality of opportunity, to being fair and inclusive, and to being a place where we all belong.
Applications now open - apply here
Key competencies
- An interest in sustainability issues (a knowledge of this area is preferable but not essential);
- Enthusiasm and motivation to make a difference;
- Good organisational skills;
- Ability to work as part of a team;
- Confidence in using own initiative and being a proactive self-starter;
- Skills/experience that would make you particularly suited to particular project groups (e.g. experience in digital content creation for the Communications, Content and Engagement project group);
- A commitment to UCL's sustainability aims.
Commitments
- 20 hours, equivalent to 1 hour a week over six months: November – May;
- Initial 2-hour training workshop in October;
- Taking part in Green Impact Auditing in May.