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Jan. 23, 2011
Heroes of Sustainability: Philippe Cousteau Jr.
Philippe Cousteau Jr. once told Elle magazine that “it takes more than a birth certificate to be a Cousteau.” The 30-something certainly isn’t resting on his famous name, but he is living up to it, carrying on the work of his father, Philippe Cousteau, and grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Delivered months after his father passed away in a flying boat crash, Cousteau was born to spread the word about conservation and the environment. He’s served as chief ocean correspondent for Animal Planet and Planet Green; co-founded Azure Worldwide, an environmental consulting, development, marketing, and media company; written public service announcements about environmental issues; and has been diving, rock climbing, trekking, and snowboarding around the world.
The Next Generation
Much of Cousteau’s work centers around educating young people, a group he believes has the power to make a change in protecting our environment. Along with his sister, Alexandra, and his mother, Jan, he co-founded EarthEcho International, a nonprofit that aims to empower the next generation to restore and protect our planet. The organization recently launched the “What’s On Your Fork?” challenge, which helps students understand the importance of knowing where their food comes from and gives them the tools to organize a Meatless Monday at their schools.Other youth-oriented projects include co-authoring Going Blue: A Teen Guide to Saving the Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, and Wetlands, and he’s working on another book for elementary-age students. He also served as executive producer, co-director, and writer for a documentary on the Everglades that reached half a million students and was nominated for a National Education Award.
Why focus on youth? “From passing laws to raising money to adopting energy efficiency programs that change their communities to protecting land and conserving water, there is no end to what young people can do,” Cousteau told the Huffington Post. “Young people not only influence their peers, they also have a tremendous influence over the buying and voting habits of their parents.”
Looking Toward the Future
Concerned that nonprofits can only do so much to save the earth, Cousteau has ventured into the for-profit business world with one of his latest projects, a socially responsible exchange-traded fund (ETF) called Global Echo. He hopes the fund, which debuted in October, will create a healthy revenue to devote to both his foundation and other causes, including microloans for women in third-world countries.“Targeting women is key in developing countries,” Cousteau told Fast Company. “It allows them to go to school, to say how many children they’re going to have, which drives the issue of population and how their children will be educated. Women are the best investments in developing countries.”
And although big changes need to be made to protect the waters the Cousteaus love so dearly, Philippe believes the little things count, too. He told U.S. News & World Report that bringing your own bag, using your own bottle, buying local, using green household and personal products, and carefully considering what fish you eat are good steps in the right direction, and the types of actions his grandfather and father would advocate for.
“Bono said, ‘Shopping is politics.’ I wish I had come up with that,” Cousteau told U.S. News. “[Consumer issues are] one of the most important places we intersect with choices that make a difference -- not just for the environment, but for our health, for our kids, and for our families.”
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