University Inspires Humber Street Sesh to slash carbon emissions by 90 per cent

The University of Hull is helping Humber Street Sesh measure its carbon reduction as it moves to using green fuel.

The Sesh, which attracts around 18,000 music fans into Hull every year, is aiming to slash its carbon emissions by 90 per cent after the University urged festival organisers to join the Oh Yes! Net Zero Campaign.

The Festival will this year slash its carbon footprint by transitioning from diesel to Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) to generate power.

JR Rix & Sons Ltd has agreed to supply the festival with discounted HVO and calculated the environmental impact of using the green fuel.

Rix’s analysist estimate last year’s event produced 3,302kgs of carbon emissions using diesel. Switching to HVO to generate the same amount of power will reduce the festival’s carbon emissions to just 46kgs.

Our carbon analysists from the Faculty of Science and Engineering and Energy and Environment Institute have validated these findings as part of responsibility as one of the Sesh’s principal partners.

Briony McDonagh, Interim Director of the University of Hull’s Energy and Environment Institute and Professor of Environmental Humanities, said: “We are delighted to support Humber Street Sesh as it moves towards being a more sustainable festival. As a founding member of the Oh Yes! Net Zero Campaign, the University of Hull is committed to helping other events and businesses in our region in their journey towards net zero. At the University, we are also on track with an ambitious plan to become carbon neutral by 2027. We wish Humber Street Sesh every success as it celebrates its tenth year on the marina this summer.”

The HVO supplied by Rix is ethically sourced and made of 100% renewable resources, chiefly recycled vegetable oil. This green alternative to fossil fuel will power all stages, bars and lighting across HSS 2023, resulting in a massive reduction in the festival’s carbon footprint. Other measures at the festival include the supply of bamboo wristbands, which the University supports.

Dave Mays, Festival Director, said: “The University of Hull, who support the festival’s bamboo wristbands and the Main Stage, encouraged us to join the Oh Yes! Net Zero Campaign. We signed up in 2022 and it made us take a critical look at the festival’s practices and identify our biggest carbon emitter – diesel generators. Working with fellow members of the campaign, Rix and the University of Hull, we have achieved our ambitious decarbonisation goal this year. This is a milestone event in our sustainability journey, coinciding with our tenth anniversary on Hull Marina.”

Harry Rix, CDO of JR Rix & Sons Ltd, said: “Rix are proud to be supporting the festival, along with other businesses across the country, to transition to a lower carbon energy generation. When the team got in touch, we investigated a range of solutions such as solar powered generators supplied by Rix Energy Services through to lower carbon fuels from Rix Petroleum. It became apparent that the most operationally viable and cost-effective route to reducing CO2e for the event was switching to HVO fuel.”

In addition to using green fuel, the festival continues to utilise solar power for the Youth Stage, supported by Wilberforce College since 2018. Festival organisers are also working on a sustainable travel plan with Hull Trains who sponsor the Dead Bod Stage, and other transport operators alongside Hull City Council, in a bid to encourage people to ditch their cars and use public transport. Details of this will be announced soon and be available on the Humber Street Sesh website.

Humber Street Sesh will celebrate a decade on Hull Marina on Saturday 12 August 2023, following a remarkable sell out in 2022. The festival will showcase over 100 acts and shine a light on emerging artists, as well as a few aspirational acts from further afield invited to join the party.

The event will continue to offer family fun, with the much-loved Silent Disco and Team Extreme Skate Park, Hip Hop Amphitheatre with Beats Bus, ScrapStore Creative Arts Marquee, photography exhibitions, flash mob dances and street entertainers.

£15 (+booking fee) advance wristbands are available from Social on Humber Street every Saturday and every day during the week prior to Saturday 12 August.