Happy Feet

Posted by Speakeasy News > Tuesday 20 February 2024 > In the News Shine Bright Collège

When humans have trouble walking, they can get help with orthopaedic shoes or prosthetics. What happens when an animal has a problem? San Diego Zoo in California fitted one of its penguins with customised shoes to help with a degenerative foot condition. Lucas, an African penguin, developed a chronic condition called bumblefoot, which occurs in … Continue reading “Happy Feet”

The Earthshot Prizes: Class of 2022

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 16 December 2022 > In the News Shine Bright Lycée

The British Royal Foundation is awarding five Earthshot prizes a year till 2030 for innovative ideas to help the planet. The 2022 winners were announced at a ceremony in Boston, Massachusetts, on 2 December hosted by Prince William. The winning projects are based in Australia, Britain, India, Kenya and Oman.  The first Earthshot Prizes were … Continue reading “The Earthshot Prizes: Class of 2022”

Australia Goes to the Polls

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 13 May 2022 > In the News Shine Bright Lycée

Australia’s Prime Minister, Liberal Scott Morrison, has called a federal election for 21 May. “ScoMo” and the Liberals were the surprise winners of the 2019 election and currently have a single seat majority in the 151-seat parliament. Opinion polls are favouring Labor and its leader Anthony Albanese over Morrison, who has been accused of bullying … Continue reading “Australia Goes to the Polls”

Koalas in Danger

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 11 February 2022 > In the News Shine Bright Lycée

The Australian government has announced that it now considers koalas an endangered species in three out of five of the states and territories where they are native. Palace populations have declined precipitously in just a decade. The 2019-20 bushfires were the last straw. Koalas, like kangaroos, are marsupials only found in the Australian continent. Because … Continue reading “Koalas in Danger”

Young Kenyan Activist Asks World Leaders to Open their Hearts to Climate Victims

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 04 November 2021 > In the News Shine Bright Lycée

In a short and moving speech to the COP26 conference in Glasgow, Elizabeth Wathuti highlighted the plight of of populations in sub-Saharan Africa who are suffering the worst effects of climate change, which is threatening their livelihoods and even their lives.  As a teenager in 2016, Wathuti founded the Green Generation Intiative in Kenya, which … Continue reading “Young Kenyan Activist Asks World Leaders to Open their Hearts to Climate Victims”

The Earthshot Prizes: Working with Videos

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 20 October 2021 > Shine Bright Lycée Webpicks

The Earthshot Prizes website has great short videos on the five ecological challenges the prizes aim to tackle. They are perfect for class use, either picking a theme or having groups work on different videos and share information. The British Royal Foundation is awarding five prizes a year till 2030 for innovative ideas to help … Continue reading “The Earthshot Prizes: Working with Videos”

2021 California wildfires: Giant Sequoia Killers

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 20 October 2021 > In the News

In September 2021 in California, two wildfires, one called the Colony Fire and the other Paradise Fire merged together to became the KNP Complex, a terrifying front of flames.  These big fires burned through the Sequoia National Park in the Sierra Nevada that is home to some of the largest trees in the world, which … Continue reading “2021 California wildfires: Giant Sequoia Killers”

The Earthshot Prizes

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 20 October 2021 > In the News Shine Bright Lycée

The British Royal Foundation is awarding five prizes a year till 2030 for innovative ideas to help the planet. The Earthshot prizes have been named in reference to President Kennedy’s Moonshot project which concentrated innovators’ energies on putting a human on the Moon in the 1960s. Prince William explained that the aim of the Earthshots … Continue reading “The Earthshot Prizes”

Extinction Rebellion Short Film

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 18 October 2021 >

The Extinction Rebellion ecological movement first came to prominence in 2019 when after 11 days of protests it persuaded the British government to declare a state of ecological emergency. This twelve-minute-long film starring Emma Thompson is a fiction based on real events and was shot during the 2019 protests in an eco-friendly sustainable way. It … Continue reading “Extinction Rebellion Short Film”