The Earthshot Prizes: Class of 2022

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 16 December 2022 > In the News

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”

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

Posted by Speakeasy News > Thursday 04 November 2021 > In the News

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 > 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

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”

David Attenborough: People’s Advocate for the Planet

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 15 October 2021 > In the News

Sir David Attenborough has fascinated viewers around the world for decades with his documentary series like The Blue Planet and Life on Earth. Now the 95-year-old naturalist is using his communication skills to try to explain the complex issues to be tackled the United Nations’ COP26 environmental summit in Glasgow from 31 October. Attenborough was … Continue reading “David Attenborough: People’s Advocate for the Planet”

Bigger Than Us

Posted by Speakeasy News > Sunday 10 October 2021 > What's On

This inspiring documentary features teen activists around the world who see a problem and try to fix it. From Malawi to Colorado they are fighting pollution, opposing child marriage, supporting education, freedom of speech and sustainable agriculture and demanding rights for the planet and indigenous people. Melati Wijsen and her sister founded Bye Bye Plastic … Continue reading “Bigger Than Us”

Create a Poster: Halloween

Posted by Speakeasy News > Saturday 09 October 2021 > Celebrate

We have a teacher recommendation for a site for creating posters for your classroom, and an example of a poster on the theme of Halloween to use in collège to work on the BE+ing present and reading comprehension around this celebration. Plus a worksheet on Halloween celebrations from A2, with a focus on the plastic … Continue reading “Create a Poster: Halloween”

She is Greta

Posted by Speakeasy News > Monday 30 August 2021 > What's On

Just ahead of the COP26 summit in Glasgow at the end of October, a cinema release for the documentary I am Greta. The young environmental activist who started School Strike for the Climate in 2018 is still only 18, but has had a profound effect on environmentalists young and old. The documentary was made almost … Continue reading “She is Greta”