The rise of “Generation Greta” has inspired young people to take the stand against climate change, trying to make a powerful, positive change to the world. But, there have been many people opposing this new movement, causing much dispute between members of the celebrity and overall public community. Greta Thunberg has taken the world by storm. The Times Magazine “Person of the Year” gained popularity while striking outside of the Swedish Parliament during school days, trying to make the government take a stronger stance and increase the fight against climate change. She and other students...

Technology has played the largest role in the rise of fast fashion. Social media rules the fashion industry- with the youth turning to the likes of Snapchat and Instagram models for clothing tips, advice and inspiration. This means that now, clothing choices are more versatile than ever- instead of waiting for Vogue’s seasonal magazine debating new trends, one negative post from a social media star is enough to completely turn the tides against a company. The Ellen Macarthur foundation has estimated that the amount of clothes produced has doubled over the last 15 years. It is important to...

“The Trees Have No Tongues.” - Dr Seuss In light of the devastating Australian bushfires, it is important to come together and realise that a change has to be made in the way that we as a society operate. If not, we are heading towards the beginning of mass extinction to an incomprehensible extent. Dr Seuss wrote the book “The Lorax” in 1971, that depicts a world with no trees left. The children’s picture book was a response to climate change after scientists became more convinced about the warming effect of carbon dioxide. Still, the extreme movement of reducing climate change was far from...

This year's Earth Day will be starkly different from all the ones I have spent at school. As I am stuck staring at the pale white-yellow walls of my room that confine me, I find myself itching to do more. Struggling to speak out, try to make an impact- in a world that is deteriorating in so many ways. As one problem overshadows the previous, we forget some of the other projects, passions and movements we have been working on for so long. Living life under the coronavirus has become the new normal, especially living in Singapore- a country that’s been hit especially hard. It’s only taken a...

Singapore’s landscape is densely-populated, a concrete-jungle it can sometimes seem. As highlighted in Singapore’s NDC (Nationally Determined Contributions, intended to be presented at the COP meeting in 2020), it is important to consider urban planning for the future. I was first introduced to vertical farming for my exhibition in grade 4, when it was still a blossoming idea. Now, in cities around the world, planting trees in urban areas is seen as a way to still contribute to forestry while not losing out on property profit. In Milan, the hometown architect Stefano Boeri designed aesthetic...

I look up to the sky and wonder, how are you doing? Often, we mask our replies and just tell a lie. Lies we try to convince ourselves, lies we tell others to not make them worry. After all, all that matters is what's beneath that mask... right? Perhaps. There are times we feel like we're fighting back a tsunami when we're really just holding a few tears. Other times, we feel like we're a rock or a stone: Unbreakable and tough. There are times when we feel like our heart is in our throats, and it's as if we're gagging on it. Other times, it's as if our heart is in our mouths and we just chew it...

In the past, fair skin was associated with beauty, and dark skin otherwise. It appalls me that we still live in a world where there still exists a preconceived notion that being “dark” is seen in a negative light. When I was younger, I used to grow up having relatives advise me me on ‘remedies’ to make my skin fairer, I used to have classmates who would jokingly say they can’t see me in the dark because I’m “black", friends who think they’re complimenting me when they say “you’re dark, BUT pretty”. There are not BUTs, yes, you can be dark AND beautiful. I’ve overheard people talking about...

Allow me to let you in on an inner secret my close friends and I share, which we adhere to strictly. This self-invented golden rule goes, “Never check Instagram when you’re having a bad day, because all it’ll do is make you feel worse.” Ostensibly, this statement comes across as harmless and amusing. But behind every sardonic statement lies a deeper, more insidious truth that engenders harmful effects. As teenagers, all of us strive to keep up with social appearances and hope to establish an online presence that screams of popularity and gregariousness. Just recently, a friend sent a...

Masculine and Feminine. When hearing those two words you might immediately think of men and women. I wouldn’t blame you, many of us are told that men must be masculine and women must be feminine.