Latest Stories from Jessica
British doctors can now suggest surfing as a mental health remedy
Young people experiencing depression and anxiety will be prescribed surfing, roller skating, and dancing before being offered medication by doctors. Let’s face it, feelings of being stressed, burnt out, and sad are bound to pop up in our hyper-aware and overloaded era of modern life. Under these circumstances, the most tempting activity is to lie in bed and shut off with a ten-part Netflix series. But the truth is, over time,...
Opinion – politicians should stop trying to be celebrities
Constant media coverage kickstarted the personalisation of politics, where leaders aren’t seen as representatives but more as ‘personalities’ that the public tries to know, relate to, and measure their own values against. Is this damaging? Yesterday, the wiser half of Britain collectively scoffed and eye-rolled after learning that its former health secretary Matt Hancock had signed up to star in the reality TV program, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out...
Evidence of an ancient ocean has been discovered on Mars
Mars might look dusty and arid to us today, but scientists have uncovered evidence that it was home to a vast ocean around 3.5 billion years ago. This discovery bolsters the theory that life once existed on the red planet. It seems like our understanding of the planet Mars continues to expand on a monthly basis. Thanks to five robotic vehicles exploring the dusty planet’s landscape, samples of Martian rock...
Australian watchdog issues nation’s first-ever greenwashing fine
Tlou Energy is the first Australian firm to be fined for lying about its environmental credentials. A corporate watchdog says claims that its sub-Saharan African gas and electric power projects are carbon neutral and low emissions are ‘factually incorrect’. If the latest legal ongoings in Australia are anything to go by, it could be getting difficult for energy companies to hide behind greenwashing tactics. The front page of Aussie-based Tlou Energy’s...
Opinion – beauty’s attempts at sustainability are misguided
So-called sustainable beauty products are everywhere. But with a new beauty line coming out almost every month, is less production the only way to achieve more in terms of true sustainability? It seems counterintuitive to say that the beauty industry is becoming more complex, especially when our understanding of which ingredients are necessary for maintaining healthy skin is improving. But take a walk into a local beauty department and it’d be...
This lamp is made from just three recycled orange peels
One of the key challenges humanity faces is finding ways to turn ‘waste’ into items that are both functional and attractive to use. A design studio in Italy is utilising the country’s most popular fruit to create eco-friendly homeware. On the third day, God said: ‘let there be light.’ Not sure when She created oranges, but I’d imagine those came sometime shortly after. Fast forward to today, and one company is...
A third of UK employees would quit over lack of climate action
Data collected by Supercritical reveals that one-third of employees based in Britain would be willing to quit their jobs if their employer does not initiate a clear climate crisis mitigation strategy. With the climate crisis undeniably coming to a head, more individuals are becoming concerned with eliminating behaviours that worsen it. While changing our personal habits does make a difference, a huge portion of our carbon footprint can be traced...
Transforming cities into sponges could save us from floods
Urban planning and landscape architect Professor Kongjian Yu has put forward an innovative and eco-friendly option for flood mitigation. It involves transforming our cities into ‘sponges’ to absorb overflowing waterways and prevent threats presented by extreme flooding. Are you ready kids? I can’t hear you… nah I’m just joking. It’s time to be real. As a result of altered weather patterns caused by climate change, the Earth’s natural water cycles have...
Two designers are turning food waste into home accessories
While minimising the amount of food we throw away should be a top priority in light of the climate crisis, the task of finding a renewed purpose for unavoidable agricultural waste has landed in the hands of talented creatives. In the age of upcycling, we tend to focus on reworking materials like wood, metal, and plastic in order to transform them into something new. But addressing one of the biggest...
COP27 will give children and youth a platform for the first time
At this year’s COP event in Egypt, young people will finally be given their own platform. The Children and Youth Pavilion will allow young activists to voice their climate concerns and hopefully impact negotiations for the very first time. It’s no secret that some of the most passionate climate activists are young people. Perhaps it’s because policy decision-makers and negotiators are often well above the age of 50 with little to...
