Philippe Cousteau Jr Of EarthEcho International On Cousteau Legacy Continues With Environmental Youth Advocacy
An Interview With Monica Sanders
The ocean is under constant threat from pollution, overfishing, climate change and development. At its core, the state of the ocean is a people problem and thus people are the key to solving it. Action and involvement are key to reversing the damage and restoring our ocean planet. If everyone does even a small part, whether it is reusable bags or investing in water bottles to eliminate buying and throwing away plastic water bottles, it all helps to ensure a thriving and healthy ocean planet.
As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Philippe Cousteau, Jr.
Philippe is a multi Emmy-nominated TV host, author, speaker, and social entrepreneur. He has hosted numerous TV programs for Discovery, BBC, CNN, Travel Channel and more.
He is an award-winning author of several books; Follow the Moon Home, Going Blue, and Make a Splash. The first installment of his new book series The Endangereds launched on HarperCollins in the fall of 2020. Philippe and his wife Ashlan are co-authors of Oceans for Dummies which came out in Feb 2021. Philippe is a sought-after speaker having keynoted events for the United Nations, Harvard University, USC, the Society of Environmental Journalists and many more.
In 2005 he founded EarthEcho International; a leading environmental education organization dedicated to inspiring youth to take action for a sustainable planet. With programs in North America, the Galapagos, Caribbean, Australia and Europe — EarthEcho directly engages hundreds of thousands of youth each year.
He serves on the National Council of the World Wildlife Fund where he is a partner in their Natural Security campaign. He also serves the boards of Green 2.0 and the Environmental Media Association and is a member of the Ocean Unite Network.
Philippe and his wife, fellow explorer and TV host Ashlan Gorse-Cousteau, reside in Los Angeles, California with their daughters and rescue dog Kenai.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit. Can you tell us a bit about how you grew up?
Growing up with my grandfather, Jacques, was one of my life’s greatest treasures. Hearing his stories of adventures traveling all around the world made me want to do the same. I kept thinking, “What could be better than doing that?” Being able to explore the world and see new places and cultures, and then work to ensure their survival and sustainability was my dream, thanks to him.
My father, died tragically in an airplane accident a few months before I was born. However, he left behind a great deal of work that influenced me greatly. Watching and reading my father’s work gave me a desire to connect with his legacy too. I always felt a calling and fascination with what my father and grandfather did and I’m grateful they had this remarkable catalogue of work — the films, photographs, TV shows — for me to learn from.
My mother was also a huge influence on my childhood and continues to be to this day. While it’s tragic I never got to meet my father, my mother spent 13 years on expedition with him and made sure he was present in my life through countless stories of their adventures together. If it weren’t for my mother, who embodies the living memories that guide my sense of purpose and drive, I would certainly not be where I am today.
Everyone has a cataclysmic moment or marker in their life which propels them to take certain actions, a “why”. What is your why?
You don’t need to be a scientist to understand the urgency of the challenges facing the ocean, our most precious natural resource that provides more than 50% of our oxygen and supports up to 80% of life on the planet.
And I think of myself as the product of good teaching. I like to say that I’m not a Cousteau because of a name on a birth certificate but because of the values that were instilled in me by my grandfather, by my mother and by some great teachers that I had growing up.
I feel that I have a responsibility to share the legacy of storytelling that my grandfather and father left behind and innovate new ways to inspire people through different mediums. When my grandfather’s first episode of The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau premiered in 1968, there were only a handful of television channels. Back then, your audience came to you. Now, with social media, the internet, video games and more, you can no longer expect audiences to come to you. So I’m passionate about creating content, from the internet, to VR, to developing new brands that help solve problems. Our goal is the create content that will engage people via the channels that weren’t around when my grandfather and father were documenting their ocean explorations.
But more than anything, as we work to continue my family legacy to keep our ocean planet healthy, I believe the best way to do that is through our youth. This generation is going to be the one that turns the proverbial tide in restoring our oceans. This is my “Why?” that drives me every day. For me, continuing this important work has not not only been a calling, but it has been a joy.
You are currently leading an organization that is making a difference for our planet. Can you tell us a bit about what you and your organization are trying to change?
My grandfather told me towards the end of his life, ‘before we can talk about conservation, we must talk about education,’ and that really stuck with me. Those words ultimately led me to start EarthEcho International, a non-profit dedicated to building a global youth movement of environmental advocacy and leadership.
In 2005, a small team and I launched EarthEcho International based on a simple concept: youth have the power to change the world. At the time there were no organizations focused on fostering and building pathways for youth to become informed and active ocean champions. Today, EarthEcho leads a growing movement of youth-focused ocean advocacy. With the fight to protect and restore our ocean planet reaching critical levels, our youth leaders are emerging as powerful change agents, from tackling plastic pollution and species decline to influencing policy.
Creating a sustainable future for our communities and families depends on the health of our ocean.
It is vitally important that we create and foster youth interest in ocean conservation if we hope to establish the momentum needed to address and correct the growing climate challenges impacting people and critical ecosystems globally. EarthEcho International envisions a world where every individual, from all backgrounds and experiences, has the opportunity and tools to create a healthy and thriving environment.
Time is of the essence and we need to reverse the declines we’re witnessing to ensure future generations enjoy the bounty and services provided by the natural world. I believe that the quickest and best way to get there is to empower youth to shape decisions made today that will positively impact our planet for generations to come.
And our EarthEcho youth leaders are making a real difference internationally, nationally and in their local communities. We’ve had youth ambassadors attend the White House Conservation in Action Summit and EEI youth leaders recently helped to advance the release of the first-ever U.S. Ocean Climate Action Plan and a commitment to expand protections for the Pacific Remote Islands through a proposed national marine sanctuary, which would create the world’s largest highly protected marine area.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company or organization?
Six years ago, my wife Ashlan and I went to the Marshall Islands to visit Bikini Atoll, the site of devastating nuclear testing by the US, to film a special for Discovery Shark Week. After dropping bombs 1000 times stronger than those we dropped in Hiroshima and Nagasaki we had destroyed everything above and below the surface. But what we found astounded us. After 60 years of the area being a de-facto marine reserve due to the fact that it was off limits to visitation from the radiation, we were able to get permission to visit (the radiation has dissipated in the water) and saw a thriving underwater world. As one of the researchers told us, between nuclear Armageddon and human habitation, humans are worse. That trip taught us a very important lesson, when we give nature a chance, it has a remarkable ability to recover and renew itself. Even after the worst fire and brimstone humanity can engineer was thrown at these islands, in just a few decades it had recovered spectacularly.
None of us can be successful without some help along the way. Did you have mentors or cheerleaders who helped you to succeed? Can you tell us a story about their influence?
My mother has been my mentor in many ways, she always encouraged us to find purpose in our lives and never pressured us to follow any particular path, but did insist that we recognize our responsibility to help protect the world and others no matter what we decided to do. She always provided space for us to find our way but gently urged us to connect with our legacy so we knew where we came from and why it mattered…and all this while raising us as a single mom.
Are there things the community, society, or politicians can do to help you in your mission?
The ocean is under constant threat from pollution, overfishing, climate change and development. At its core, the state of the ocean is a people problem and thus people are the key to solving it. Action and involvement are key to reversing the damage and restoring our ocean planet. If everyone does even a small part, whether it is reusable bags or investing in water bottles to eliminate buying and throwing away plastic water bottles, it all helps to ensure a thriving and healthy ocean planet.
We also need to remember that environmental issues should be non-partisan. This shouldn’t be a political issue; we all must come together to protect our ocean planet and local waterways. I like to remind people that Richard Nixon passed the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. He founded the EPA. We can argue about foreign and economic policy but when it comes right down to it, clean air and clean water are non-negotiable.
Most importantly, if you have a young person in your life who is passionate about the ocean or is looking for real-world ways to combat climate change, please encourage them to get involved with EarthEcho International by joining GenSea! GenSea is EarthEcho’s community and digital platform connecting young ocean advocates, ages 13–25, for networking, learning, and collective action to protect and restore our ocean planet. This new resource builds on the work our global network of youth leaders have driven to advance marine protection initiatives and ocean climate action over the last two years.
How can our readers continue to follow your work online?
To follow our youth advocacy work with EarthEcho International, visit earthecho.org or follow it on our social media channels:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/earthecho
Twitter: www.twitter.com/earthecho
Instagram: www.instagram.com/earthecho/.
My wife, Ashlan and I, also work on environmental advocacy initiatives and you can follow that at http://www.philippecousteau.com
This was very meaningful, thank you so much. We wish you only continued success on your great work!
About the Interviewer: Monica Sanders JD, LL.M, is the founder of “The Undivide Project”, an organization dedicated to creating climate resilience in underserved communities using good tech and the power of the Internet. She holds faculty roles at the Georgetown University Law Center and the Tulane University Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy. Professor Sanders also serves on several UN agency working groups. As an attorney, Monica has held senior roles in all three branches of government, private industry, and nonprofits. In her previous life, she was a journalist for seven years and the recipient of several awards, including an Emmy. Now the New Orleans native spends her time in solidarity with and championing change for those on the frontlines of climate change and digital divestment. Learn more about how to join her at: www.theundivideproject.org.
Philippe Cousteau Jr Of EarthEcho International On Cousteau Legacy Continues With Environmental… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.