Latest Stories from Jessica
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...
New documentary goes undercover inside SHEIN’s factories
Available on Channel 4, the documentary reveals that workers making clothing for the fast-fashion giant SHEIN are paid as little as 3p per garment while working 18-hour shifts. Most of us aren’t blind to the fact that the availability of ultra-cheap clothing is impossible without the exploitation of workers who sew them. But this doesn’t make the findings in Channel 4’s new documentary any less shocking. Titled Untold: Inside the Shein Machine,...
Researchers say global oceans need legal protective rights
Following a recent campaign to give rivers, lakes, and forests legal rights, experts now say global oceans must also be afforded legally enforced protection. They argue this is the only way to positively transform our relationship with oceans and prevent total ecosystem collapse. In a new article published in PLOS Biology, experts from the non-profit organisation Earth Law Center argue that humans must foster ‘a higher respect for the Ocean...
Scientists have discovered a new ecosystem in the Indian Ocean
Named ‘The Trapping Zone,’ the newly discovered ecosystem is teeming with activity. It appears to be an oasis for supporting life, located 500m below the surface of the Indian Ocean. It’s not every day that we hear news of an entirely new ecosystem being discovered, but it looks like scientists and ocean lovers have just gotten lucky. While recently exploring the depths of the Indian Ocean, marine biologists aboard the Nekton...
Is the Met Gala’s 2023 theme problematic?
He may have been one of the most talented and influential fashion figureheads of the 21st century, but like most in positions of power, Karl Lagerfeld’s fame wasn’t without controversy. Is the Met Gala wrong to idolise him at next year’s event? Last year, I wrote about the Met Gala and the ways in which it seemed to have lost its allure. From its tone-deaf theme to its oversaturated invite list,...
