South Africa’s second largest city came very close to running out of water in April. Only a massive effort by its citizens has delayed “Day Zero” for now. More and more urban areas face water shortages as a result of climate change. Three years of unusually low rainfall, combined with population increases, left Cape Town … Continue reading “Cape Town: The Day the Water Stops”
The theme of World Oceans Day, 8 June, is the problems caused in the oceans by plastic pollution, a subject which is very much in the news at the moment. There are some great videos and teaching resources on this topic. And more to do in Plastic-Free July. This wordless video, “How will you celebrate … Continue reading “Fight Plastic Pollution”
Britain’s Prince Charles has long been recognised for his involvement in ecology. Now the Queen is turning to conservation, protecting forests all over the Commonwealth, from a tiny 2.5 hectare site in Antigua and Barbuda to the 6.4 million hectares of the Great Bear Rainforest in Canada. The Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy originated in an idea … Continue reading “The Queen Goes Green”
The theme for this year’s Earth Day, 22 April, is “End Plastic Pollution”. This poster from the U.S. Department of State puts the focus on ecological problems caused by plastic waste in our oceans, and the dangers it presents for marine creatures. The poster is a great starting point for a class on plastic in … Continue reading “Free Ecology Poster”
Al Gore’s Climate Reality Project site is a mine of materials to work on the environment. Many of them are regrouped under Climate 101. That is also the title of a downloadable 18-page booklet which would be perfect for use with B1-B2-level students. An excellent document for working on Education aux médias is this 5-minute … Continue reading “Climate Change Webpicks”
In 2006, the documentary The Inconvenient Truth made Al Gore into the most prominent ecologist on the planet. Gore won a Nobel Prize for its impact on public opinion about climate change. Ten years on, An Inconvenient Sequel shows the positive changes that have been made, and Gore’s tireless work in continuing to promote solutions … Continue reading “Al Gore: Still Saving the Planet”
This A2+-level article sheds light on ways to take part in environmental issues, through the eyes of a teenage Native American boy very committed to ecology. As well as A2+ activities, we have suggested some B1 extensions and videos for use with mixed-level or more advanced classes. This is an excellent topic for an EPI … Continue reading “Eco-Warrior”
Discovering this teenage Native American environmental activist, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, is inspiring on many levels. It fits well into themes of ecology, protest songs, indigenous cultures or young people taking action. We have provided an A2+-B1 downloadable article and activities in the Ready to Use Resources section. These videos can extend the sequence. The first 2:20 … Continue reading “Videos of a Teenage Eco-Warrior”