What a bunch of snowflakes! Almost half of recent college graduates are not ’emotionally’ prepared for a 9-5, damning survey finds

• A bombshell survey has revealed that huge numbers of young professionals are emotionally unprepared to survive the modern workday
• A majority of workers aged 22-28 feel burnt out every week, and 51 percent have sought help for their mental health in the last year
• Large numbers of those surveyed slated colleges for failing to prepare them for their careers

Almost half of recent college graduates are not ’emotionally’ prepared to survive in the workplace, while a majority of those in their 20s feel ‘burnt out’ at least once a week. 

These were the bombshell findings from a new survey of America’s young professionals, which concluded that the next generation of workers aren’t equipped to handle a regular 9-5. 

The survey, conducted by the Mary Christie Institute, unearthed numerous shocking statistics, including that 51 percent of young workers needed help for mental health issues within the past year. 

Young professionals also offered a damning verdict on the role of colleges in preparing them for their careers, slating their university experience for failing to prime them to enter office life. 

The think tank said their data demonstrates that ‘once in the workplace, young people continue to struggle mentally and emotionally’. 

The survey, which sampled 1005 people aged between 22 to 28 who achieved at least a bachelor’s degree, was intended to gauge how young adults are coping in the modern workplace. 

But the results weren’t promising, with young professionals who are supposed to be in their prime instead reporting more anxiety, higher levels of burnout and increased financial stress. 

Of the 51 percent of respondents who said they needed help for their mental health struggles in the last year, 43 percent suffered from anxiety and 31 percent from depression. 

Women also seem to suffer worse than men from office-related mental struggles, with just 45 percent of women saying they have ‘good’ mental health compared to 68 percent of men. 

Notably, young professionals are also starkly divided by race, particularly among those who feel their mental health is on the up. 

Six in ten Black Americans categorized their overall mental health as ‘good or excellent,’ which was drastically higher than their white counterparts who came in at just 52 percent. 

Asian Americans registered the same metric at 63 percent, however just 49 percent of Hispanic respondents felt the same way. 

Fundamentally, the findings found that huge numbers of young workers emotionally struggle due to their work, with 45 percent saying their mental health dips as a result of their careers while 38 percent said an office environment negatively impacts their wellbeing. 

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Commenting on the data, career coach and workforce expert Ken Coleman said the survey should serve as a dire warning for businesses and the US economy going forward. 

He told The Fix: ‘These findings are a stark predictor of continued lack of engagement, low productivity and no loyalty which leads to negative impacts on companies and our economy.

‘This generation has truly been victimized by the fear campaign of marketers, the media and politicians who have manipulated their grandparents and parents for decades.

‘Add in normal doubts and insecurities that come with launching into adulthood and you have the ultimate cocktail of confusion.’ 

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| Environment

EPA Reveals Toxic ‘Plume of Chemicals’ Moving Down Ohio River, Raising Fears of Ecological Disaster

The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday provided an update on the chemical fallout from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment and ecological disaster.

“There is a plume [of chemicals] moving down the Ohio River,” said Tiffani Kavalec, the head of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency’s water management subdivision. “It’s near Huntington, West Virginia, right now.”

Kavalec said that the plume is composed mainly of “fire combustion chemicals.” There may also be multiple “volatile organic compounds” carried on the train in the Ohio River but are “very diluted,” she added.

Local news station WLWT reported on Monday that small amounts of the chemicals had been identified in the Ohio River, which winds through or borders Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. It supplies more than 5 million people with drinking water. States hundreds of miles away are evaluating its drinking water for the presence of toxic chemicals.

However, the latest reports on Wednesday contradict the earlier assessments.

“No contaminants were found in the Ohio River after Greater Cincinnati Water Works tested it for multiple hazardous chemicals,” WXIX reported.

“According to the Water Quality of Richard Miller Treatment Plant Intake data, all four chemicals were not detected in the Ohio River, including butyl acrylate and vinyl chloride,” the report added.

The Norfolk Southern train derailed on February 3rd. Fifty rail cars containing various toxic chemicals were overturned. New drone footage obtained by Rebel News shows an overview of the train wreck.

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| Science

Vertical solar panels could save farm land and transform agriculture

Sunstall, a California-based company, has launched a vertical solar panel, Sunzaun, which can be used in existing fields and arable lands without sacrificing them for clean green energy. The installation is much like conventional solar systems, just that the system uses bifacial solar modules, and the entire array stands like a boundary wall in the field.

As countries look to move away from fossil fuels, the interest in solar energy has increased in recent years. Countries in Europe facing harsh winters are also finding new ways of tapping into solar energy, such as installing solar panels at high altitudes. In such a scenario, dedicating large swathes of agricultural lands to build solar farms might seem like overkill. This is where the field of agrivoltaics has helped by dual purposing available land.

Vertical solar panels

Even though agrivoltaics is a relatively new field, it has already set some norms, like the use of elevated platforms for mounting solar panels. This allows the land to be used for growing crops while shielding it from the harsh sun and reducing the water required to cultivate a crop.

This is a useful concept but increases the cost of installation. Sunzuan’s vertical solar panels break this norm by making it simpler to install solar panels since no elevated platforms need to be built. The vertical panels can be lined up wherever it is convenient to place them and can even be installed with a slope of up to 15 degrees.

Sunzuan’s ingenuity also lies in the use of bifacial solar modules in its design which negates the need to install the panels in a south-facing configuration. Conventionally, solar panels are installed facing true south in the northern hemisphere to ensure they receive direct sunlight throughout the day. Since the vertical panels use bifacial modules, they can be lined facing east-west and still get the job done.

Recent studies have shown that installing bifacial modules in an east-west configuration can produce the same amount of electricity as a south-facing solar panel. More importantly, the vertical panel design isn’t restricted to agricultural fields. It can be lined up along the length of highways, railroads, fences, or even balconies in residential areas.

The panels can bear wind loads of up to 0.084 psi and are currently in the process of obtaining their UL2703 certification, which assures the safety performance of the modules and the system.

Sunzuan’s vertical system with 43 panels is currently installed at a winery in California and produces 23kW of power.

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