Latest Stories from Jessica
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...
How California’s plastic ban will challenge the beauty industry
The Golden State has announced a new bill that will ban the sale of single-use plastics by 2032. What does this mean for the hundreds of beauty brands that create and sell their products in California? Plastic is arguably the world’s most convenient synthetic material, but it has become an indestructible double edged sword that harms the wellbeing of humans and the natural environment. Decades of dependency on sturdy plastic bottles,...
PANGAIA’s new ‘Re-Color’ collection utilises dyes from old textiles
Using technology that turns used textile fabric into powdered dye, PANGAIA has created a new capsule collection that uses no harmful chemicals to obtain its pastel hues. The world can’t get enough of co-ord tracksuits and PANGAIA is one brand determined to deliver them in the most sustainable way possible. Already having made a name for itself in the eco-friendly fashion realm, the brand has found yet another way to reduce...
London Zoo places handbag on display to raise poaching awareness
To make a clear statement about animal poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, the London Zoo has displayed a brown crocodile skin bag where its Siamese crocodiles usually reside. Visiting London Zoo presents an exciting opportunity to observe some of the world’s most elusive creatures without ever having to leave the concrete jungle. What you wouldn’t expect to spot is a designer, crocodile leather handbag positioned behind the layer of glass...
Are ‘best before’ dates on fresh produce necessary?
Every year, 88 million tons of food goes to waste in the EU. To tackle the problem, supermarkets are removing best before dates on fresh produce and encouraging customers to use their senses while shopping - literally. ‘Do you think this milk is still ok?’ my colleagues ask one another on Tuesday morning, reverting to the good old, trusty smell test on a past-dated carton before tucking into their morning...
