Mindfully Greenie
For most of history, man has had to fight nature to survive; in this century he is beginning to realize that, in order to survive, he must protect it.” —Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Who among my generation and thereafter do not know Jacques-Yves Cousteau? He opened the mysterious silent ocean to the rest of humanity and we are most grateful.
“Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau left his mark forever on the planet and the oceans. When Cousteau and his teams embarked aboard Calypso to explore the world, no one yet knew about the effects of pollution, over-exploitation of resources and coastal development. The films of Calypso’s adventures drew the public’s attention to the potentially disastrous environmental consequences of human negligence. Cousteau, through his life and his work, was a major player in the environmental movement.” (https://www.cousteau.org/who/the-captain)
Captain Cousteau was recognized not just as a legendary undersea explorer and a foremost advocate for sustainability before it became a global byword, but also as an inventor. Together with engineer Emile Gagnan, he developed scuba (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) in 1943, which allowed divers the privilege to marvel at the amazing creatures and ecosystems in the ocean, as well as see the harm we have done to them.
Captain Cousteau opened our eyes to the fascinating underwater world more than any human of his time did and in the process, inspired many to discover, learn and share nature’s beauty and unending mystery to the rest of the world.
As young children, my siblings and I would be glued on television watching “The Underwater World of Jacques Cousteau,” which Captain Cousteau and his son, Philippe, co-produced. It was “the most popular documentary series in broadcast history, setting a record at the time for Emmys and eventually showing in more than 100 nations, from the Soviet Union to Brazil and Japan.”
It was a honor for me to meet in 2015 in San Sebastian Spain, Alexandra Cousteau, the granddaughter of the Captain and the son of Philippe Cousteau, Sr., and an engaging and dynamic figure and leader in her own right. In her own words, she could “swim before I could walk”, was taught scuba diving by Jacques Cousteau himself at age 7, and went with her eminent grandfather and father in various expeditions around the world since she was four months old.
She has taken on the protection of ocean and water as personal advocacy and has been doing it extraordinarily.
Alexandra established “the Blue Legacy International in 2008 with the mission of empowering people to reclaim and restore the world’s water, one community at a time.
Alexandra has led Blue Legacy expeditions across 6 continents and produced over 100 award-winning short films about water issues around the world, engaging record numbers of people to take action on water conservation issues at home.”
The World Economic Forum named Alexandra one of its 2010 Young Global Leaders. (https://www.alexandracousteau.com/story)
Alexandra Cousteau is also Oceana’s senior advisor and has supported tremendously the advancement of the goals of restoring the health of our oceans through expedition, events and advocacy.
We had another extraordinary meeting last week, with her and our Oceana teams when Oceana had its annual International All-Staff Meeting (IASM) in Pennsylvania.
She was every inch a Cousteau and more, and inspired each one to carve out a high standard for carrying out our mission, as she has also so imposed upon herself, mindful of the “heavy” Cousteau legacy.
Alexandra’s personal sharing that “I’ve lost so many places that I’ve loved” touched me in a personal way. But at the same time, it challenged me as it should to all of us to show our deep care and compassion for our ocean, our planet and the present and future generations in the way that we know best — and through concrete action, not just words.
We simply cannot remain ensconced in our personal comfort zones and look the other way when illegal, irresponsible and destructive practices are being done, that if allowed to continue, will destroy all of us.
Last week’s IASM event was indeed unforgettable. We were energized being with fellow advocates who we know are making huge contributions in protecting our vastly challenged natural world.
We shared the victories, milestones and the perennial challenges in ocean governance and came home knowing that the ocean is silent no more, with courageous defenders, who with their collective voices, will ensure that sustainability is mainstreamed in decision-making, now and always.
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