Philippe Cousteau: Empower Youths to Protect the Oceans

For Philippe Cousteau, the ocean is the family business.

“The earliest memories I have of the ocean are actually stories, stories from my grandfather,” says Cousteau, the grandson of legendary ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau and the son of environmental documentary filmmaker Philippe Cousteau Sr. “My passion for ocean conservation stems from learning at a very young age that we’re all connected, we’re all in this together.”

Cousteau is carrying on the legacy as the cofounder of EarthEcho International, the nonprofit he established with his sister, Alexandra Cousteau, in 2000 to “empower youth and young people to take action that restores and protect our water planet.”

The organization provides videos, lesson plans, virtual expeditions, and other educational resources for middle and high school students.

“Fundamentally, some of the big sustainability issues we face today around hunger and water and climate change and ocean acidification—those are all ocean problems,” says Cousteau. “My grandfather believed firmly that…the best investment for conservation was investing in youth.”

“We cannot be passive participants in this great journey that we’re on to build a sustainable future that we all deserve.”

Read more about the fight to save the world's oceans in our “Blue Planet” series.