Latest Stories from Jessica
This eco-friendly pregnancy test is made entirely from paper
Each year, over 12 million plastic pregnancy tests are thrown out in the UK alone. In a bid to reduce waste caused by single-use plastic items, one company has designed an at home test made entirely out of paper. When listing personal care products that generate unnecessary plastic waste, items like toothbrushes, tampons, or flossing sticks might first come to mind. Bamboo toothbrushes, MoonCups, and water picks have helped us reduce...
What is the environmental impact of bright clothing dyes?
Just like all fabrics are not created equal, neither are the dyes that give them their colour. Achieving bright whites and neon hues are resource and labour intensive, causing some items of clothing to have a greater social and environmental impact than others. We’re now nearing the end of August and although most of us would like to believe in a never-ending summer, the fact is… winter is coming. Around this...
Instagram’s new tool allows users to block weight loss ads
The option for Instagram users to customise their targeted ads was introduced in early June, with a ‘body weight control’ category only added this week. Is this enough to stifle the toxic culture that festers within the appearance-obsessed platform? Amidst the rise of body positive values in marketing tactics and amongst the general public, you’d think we’d no longer have to deal with inadvertently being shown weight loss adverts on...
This no-waste body wash comes in dissolvable packaging
The beauty industry is a top contributor to plastic production and water waste. Helping us get closer to fully sustainable self-care is PLUS, a brand that delivers its products in fully biodegradable, waterless pouches. Unless you tend to use bars of soap or have already started buying solid shampoo, half of the toiletries sitting in your bathroom are likely housed in single-use plastic bottles. The beauty industry is a major contributor...
How the climate crisis has changed perspectives on city design
Architectural innovation will be absolutely vital to help us withstand life in a warmer world. What will future buildings look like and how can we adapt the ones that currently stand? Cities are nothing without their multi-storey buildings and iconic, shiny, glass skyscrapers. We’ve become accustomed to gawking at their modern, funky shapes (the Shard and Gherkin come to mind) and hardly hesitate to kink our necks to admire their...
High fashion brands remix their logos for sustainable collections
As consumers demand increased transparency from the fashion industry, high fashion brands are reimagining their iconic logos for sustainable collections. But are these logos simply pretty tokens designed to mask shady practices? Logomania isn’t dead, despite what fashion editorials and blogs want you to think. With the emergence of every new season comes claims that apparel printed with name brands are ‘out’, only to be later refuted by handfuls of...
watching reality tv doesn’t make you a bad person
some might say it makes you a better one Let’s face it, reality television has a pretty bad reputation. Admitting you indulge in watching humans compete for fame while going at their castmates’ throats or tongue-snogging on camera can find you on the receiving end of some seriously bombastic side eyes. Confessing this to the wrong crowd may even see them privately knock your intellectual status down a couple pegs. ‘It’s trash!’...
London Mayor Sadiq Khan calls for UK government to freeze rent
As housing prices soar and moving becomes near impossible due to increased competition, the mayor of London is asking the government to freeze rent – potentially saving city-dwellers £3,000 over the next two years. Finding a home in London right now is nothing short of crisis-inducing. Locating a flat that doesn’t induce claustrophobia or bankruptcy, securing a viewing, and having an offer accepted are three separate hurdles – none of which...
Ukraine’s valuable seed bank is at risk of being lost to war
Global food supplies have already been tightened due to the ongoing war, but the future of agriculture could also be at risk if Ukraine’s largest seed bank is destroyed by Russian attacks. Farmlands in Ukraine are some of the most fertile on Earth. The nation’s nutrient rich soil stores moisture for longer and produces high crop yields, making it cheaper and far more low maintenance than farmland in other parts of...
US Senate passes the nation’s first ever climate legislation
Getting the Inflation Reduction Act passed is one of Joe Biden’s most impactful moves as President yet. It will seek to avert global climate catastrophe by drastically reducing US greenhouse emissions, but also lower prescription drug costs for citizens, and increase taxes paid by large corporations. Environmentalists, climate activists, and social justice warriors rejoice, because this week is starting out with some fantastic news. In a historic move, the US Senate...
