A team of University of Hull students will take part in a week-long social experiment where they will be challenged to live their most sustainable life.
The five Hull University Business School students will live together and be filmed completing a series of tasks and learning what it is like to live sustainably.
During the project, in partnership with accommodation provider Kexgill Group, the students will learn how to eat, shop and dress sustainably as well as taking part in community activities to benefit the environment.
The University of Hull has pledged to become a carbon neutral campus by 2027. With sustainability at the heart of its vision and strategy, students across all faculties have the opportunity to help shape and drive the University’s transformation.
Tom Bews, who is a Logistics student at the University of Hull and Project Manager for the Green Room Project, said: “As a logistics student at Hull with a passion for innovation and an interest in sustainability, having the chance to project manage the Green Room Project 2022 was a brilliant opportunity that I couldn’t miss.
“I love the variety of project work, gaining experience in all areas of business and ensuring that the project will be successful.
“I can’t wait to see how our students react to the sustainable tasks given to them. I look forward to supporting the project and doing my best to contribute to its success.”
The exciting project will take place from January 24-31 with updates shared on social media throughout the week.
The ‘Green Room Project’ will feature students with a variety of attitudes towards sustainable living – from those who are reluctant to change their lifestyles, to those who have already acted to reduce their personal carbon footprint.
Housemate Ayana Al Harthy, who is studying BA Business Management with Entrepreneurship and plans to launch a vegan/low-impact food start-up business, will be creating mouth-watering vegan recipes inside the house, showing her fellow housemates the ease of eating in a sustainable way.
The Green Room Project aims to bring together people from all walks of life and allow them to share and thrive in their knowledge of sustainable living.
The project ultimately seeks to provide knowledge for a sustainable world by putting sustainable living principles into practice.
The University of Hull has gained a world-renowned reputation as a leader in low-carbon energy and sustainability.
Its Energy & Environment Institute has grown from a team of two to over 100 researchers in less than five years, all exploring the impacts and causes of climate change globally.
University experts had significant presence at COP26 in Glasgow last November, and its team at Aura works with SMEs in the Humber region to develop new technologies and find solutions to decarbonise the economy.
Jessica Marsh, Director of the Green Room Project and a former University of Hull student, said: “Whilst completing my degree. I found my passion in environmental issues. When I graduated in 2021, I sought to find work that would reflect this.
“As Sustainability Campaign Manager for Kexgill Group, I have been granted freedom to explore how to create awareness for the effects of climate change and how to create the greatest positive impact for our environment, because Kexgill Group also care.
“The Green Room Project 2022, for me, is an ambitious yet exciting opportunity to showcase how students can make a positive impact on the environment through changing their lifestyles. As I work for a student accommodation provider, working with students was vital, but I have also used this opportunity to influence the generation that will have the most impact on our future.”
Kexgill Group is a pan-European student accommodation provider originating in Hull. Kexgill is sponsoring and supporting the project alongside Hull University Business School.
You can follow all the actions in the house and the housemates’ journey on the social media platforms TikTok and Instagram @thegrp22.
The project is supported by a range of businesses and their expertise to demonstrate sustainable living to the housemates: From Hyundai providing a new all-electric IONIQ 5 as transport for the students to get to their activities, to Teemil which will share its vision in sustainable clothing.
There has also been strong support from businesses in the region including: Rooted in Hull, Plant and Paint, Barleys, The Refill Jar, and Library of Stuff.
Professor Dan Parsons, Director of the University’s Energy & Environment Institute, said: “I am delighted that our students are taking action on addressing climate change and of course, most importantly, learning more about how we can all make changes to help and engage with addressing this existential global challenge.
“Of course, the big changes we need to make as a society will be systemic ones that change policy in order to help people make the right choices more easily.
“I will be interested in how the student team get on and what changes they found most difficult and I look forward to hearing more about their journey.”
Recently a University of Hull study, conducted by YouGov, explored how peoples’ attitudes towards fast fashion have changed in recent years.
The study of over 2,000 people found a quarter of young people said they were renting or buying second-hand clothes to wear for Christmas.
It also revealed younger people are far more likely to buy second-hand clothes or gifts for Christmas than the older generation, citing environmental reasons and sustainability as their main consideration.
You can read more on that study here.