Latest Stories from Jessica
The Great Barrier Reef experiences sixth mass bleaching event
Last year, scientists said that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef couldn’t survive another bleaching event. According to experts in the field, it’s happening right now. After the mass coral bleaching event of 2020, marine biologists said that another coral bleaching event could cause irreversible, long-term damage to the Great Barrier Reef. Scientists had hoped that cooler temperatures caused by La Niña conditions would prevent it from happening on a wide scale this...
New cyberflashing law to give senders of unsolicited nudes jail time
Cyberflashing will now be considered a criminal offence in the UK and Wales. Offenders risk being punished with the same maximum sentence as indecent exposure. The UK and Wales are cracking down on cyberflashing with a new bill that will land perpetrators up to two years in jail. Cyberflashing is a kind of sexual harassment made possible by mobile phones, social media, dating apps, and wireless image sharing features on smartphones...
Four sustainable design companies to watch out for this year
From carbon positive public seating, recycled surfboard tables, to papier-mâché guitars & repurposed plastic furniture – we’re rounding up some of the most innovative sustainable designs yet. It’s no secret that humans have historically neglected sustainability and longevity when creating designs for public spaces, appliances, and home furniture. Our affinity for ‘fast furniture’ has resulted in more than 12 million tons of cheap, unrecyclable homeware being sent to landfill by...
UK watchdog to expose fashion brands guilty of greenwashing
The Competition and Markets Authority is preparing to name and shame high street clothing companies selling ‘sustainable’ clothing at a premium price. We might think we’re doing the right thing by heading straight for the ‘eco-friendly’ or ‘sustainable’ section of popular clothing shops when looking to buy a new outfit. But with so many brands accused of greenwashing in recent years, how can we trust that retailers are actually sourcing ethical...
Florida’s ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill bans LGBTQ+ lessons in schools
The new state legislation will ban teachers from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in school lessons. Same-sex marriage has been legalised in all but thirteen states in America, but across the country, the mission to obtain stronger LGBTQ+ rights remains a long, ongoing fight. As this year’s Legislative Session commences in Florida, debates on abortion rights and immigration have sparked a ‘heavily divided culture war’. Now, amendments to the state’s...
New study shows drinking a beer a day shrinks our brains
It’s probably a good thing Gen-Z isn’t drinking as much as their older counterparts. While it’s still a little too early to quantify how many of us will ultimately opt out of trips to the pub, it looks like the Gen-Z’ers old enough to queue up for a pint aren’t so keen. Studies by market researchers have revealed that 84 percent of Gen-Z shoppers are regularly purchasing alcohol, compared to...
Parisian brand Chloé channels climate consciousness at fashion week
Gabriela Hearst, the Creative Director of Chloé, took an optimistic stance at Paris Fashion Week by encapsulating how the fashion industry can exist in harmony with the planet. As humanity looks for ways to become less wasteful, the fashion industry has been placed directly under the microscope due to its vastly negative impact on the planet. Fast-fashion brands now dominate the market, selling low-cost clothing sewn together out of synthetic materials....
TikTok users want the world to move past ableist thinking
TikTok users are giving us a first-hand look at what it’s like living in a world largely designed for able-bodied people. Last weekend’s intimate Ted x London Women’s event kicked off with a presentation on ableism. If you’re confused about what this means, the Oxford Dictionary explains the term as ‘discrimination in favour of able-bodied people.’ It’s what prevents millions of fully qualified disabled people from getting equal opportunities each year. But...
Why we should talk more about Europe’s rapidly growing forests
With laser-like focus on deforestation in the Amazon, we’ve forgotten to celebrate the growth of forests around us and the job they’re doing to sustain our natural world. The Amazon rainforest tends to make headlines whenever wildfires begin, as entire ecosystems and species are irreversibly destroyed. But more frequently, it’s human-led deforestation that captures the attention of international news. As many will already know, 17 percent of the Amazon rainforest has...
Edible food packaging is the future of snack time
Using seaweed and algae, several food manufacturers are starting to cut back on single-use plastic waste by making their wrappers fully edible. Ever finish your snack and wish you had a little something more to munch on? What if we told you that soon, you’ll be able to eat the wrapper that snack came in? Sounds a bit weird, right? Well, we’re not far off from that becoming a reality, as...
