Latest Stories from Jessica
California is trading food landfills for composted green energy
Next month, a new mandatory food waste recycling program will be implemented in California. All food scraps will be collected from homes by the state, then composted or turned into renewable energy. New years’ resolutions are typically personal goals we set to try to get a little closer to being the best version of ourselves. But the state of California is introducing a new law for its residents starting in...
Earth’s tiniest bugs are officially evolving to eat plastic
In the first large-scale study of its kind, researchers have found that microbes living in oceans and soils around the world have learned to eat at least ten different types of plastic. Plastic is by far the world’s biggest issue when it comes to pollution. Most types are notoriously hard to recycle and even single-use plastics can remain in-tact for 500 years once thrown out. Although human led clean-up efforts are commendable,...
Banksy pledges £10million to transform Reading prison
The prison was shut down in 2013 and plans to revamp the space have continuously fallen through. World renowned street artist Banksy is pledging money to transform it into a positive space for art and culture. What happens to prisons once they shut down indefinitely? In the case of England’s Reading Prison, the massive building became derelict, sitting empty for almost a decade. The Ministry of Justice put the prison up...
Earth’s Black Box will record climate research for future beings
Located in Tasmania, the Black Box - similar to mechanisms found on planes - will outlive humankind and hold all the information we’ve gathered about climate change. Getting real about climate change means accepting that a global failure to meet net zero goals could mean the end of our current civilisation - but that doesn’t mean there won’t be survivors or other intelligent beings inhabiting our world shortly after. Failing to...
Seaweed film could be the future of single use plastic packaging
London-based company Notpla was granted $13 million to boost sustainable packaging using seaweed. It hopes to replace hard-to-recycle plastic films used for food and clothing wrapping. The magical plant that holds together sushi rolls, adds flavour to our ramen bowls, and grows abundantly in the ocean has become an unlikely, yet perfect alternative to plastic film. Notpla, short for ‘not plastic’, is based in London. The company started its venture...
Steve McQueen’s new film sheds light on cancer rates in Black men
The director, well-known for his Oscar winning film ‘12 Years a Slave’, aims to remove the stigma around prostate cancer and the risk it poses for Black men in particular. Steve McQueen's new short film stars Morgan Freeman, Idris Elba, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Michael Ward. Titled Embarrassed, it sets the goal of increasing awareness about high rates of prostate cancer in the Black male community. According to research, 1 in 4...
SafeUP app makes solo travelling safer for women
As a woman, travelling involves regularly assessing where is safe to go and what is safe to do. The SafeUP app is helping women stay connected to one another in case they need to ask for help - wherever they are. Women change their personal behaviours in the interest of safety every day. We opt for the long way home rather than shortcuts through parks at night, carry keys between our...
Shell’s explosive undersea oil search threatens whale mating season
The world’s most lucrative fossil fuel company plans to seek out new undersea energy reserves during peak whale mating season off the coast of South Africa. As if Shell’s practices couldn’t get any worse, the company has just begun a new oil-seeking venture off the coast of South Africa - despite being aware that whales circulate in nearby waters. To find these potential reserves of energy, Shell will be creating countless...
Twitter plans to ban photos and videos taken of strangers in public
The social media platform says it will ban unsolicited videos in public settings. Unwitting strangers cannot give consent, creating a problematic grey area for social media content. Sceptics, however, are already asking a lot of questions. We’ve all seen them. The photos or videos of people in public doing strange or offensive things, followed by a seemingly endless thread of users expressing their opinion or amusement. Take hidden gym recordings, for...
Barbados cuts ties with its colonial past to become a republic
After an effort lasting two decades, Barbados has removed the British monarch as its head of state. It is a symbolic moment which will leave colonial ruling behind for good. Yesterday evening, Barbados replaced the Queen as its head of state and became a republic, cutting its last remaining colonial ties nearly 400 years after English ships first arrived on its shores. The people of Barbados have long expressed their desire...
