“The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”

– Jacques Cousteau

“The first step in solving a problem is being aware that it exits.”

— Philippe Cousteau, Jr.

In many families, there is often a “family business,” perhaps a restaurant or store, maybe a farm. And as time passes, at some point one generation will question whether or not they want to continue the business or do something else. Lucky for us, in the Cousteau family, the family business is saving the oceans of the world. And the current generation, Philippe Cousteau, Jr. and his wife Ashlan Gorse Cousteau, are at the front of the effort. In Season One, Part Three of The Sea Has Many Voices podcast, Philippe Cousteau, Jr. and his wife Ashlan Gorse Cousteau discuss major ocean concerns. These include Environmental Issues, Environmental Sustainability, Plastic Ocean Pollution, Environmental Journalism, and their youth efforts.

The name “Cousteau” is one with ocean environmental education. Phillipe’s grandfather, Jaques-Yves Cousteau, was one of the inventors of modern scuba gear. Ever the sailor (he served in the French Navy before and during World War II), Jacques wrote more than 50 books on the ocean. He also founded the Cousteau Society, which works to preserve the oceans. But Jaques’ greatest gift to ocean conservancy and environmental education is the 120 t.v. documentaries he filmed. His documentaries introduced average people around the world to the wonders of the ocean. Until then, as Phillipe puts it, the ocean was “something we pulled food out of and dumped trash into.” Jacques Cousteau is known for sharing scientific ideas in a simple way. His work on t.v. paved the way for Carl Sagan’s “Cosmos,” Bill Nye the Science Guy, and many others.

Jacques’ son Philippe Cousteau worked with his father to continue teaching people around the world about the ocean. Sadly, his life was cut short in an airplane accident in 1979, just a few months before Philippe Cousteau, Jr. was born.

Philippe Cousteau, Jr. and his sister Alexandra are the third generation of Cousteaus to bring the family’s messages of environmental sustainability and environmental education to the public. In 2000, they founded the non-profit organization Earth Echo. Philippe believes that education, not tech or politics, is the key to saving the ocean. Earth Echo supports the idea that youth have the power to change the planet. Earth Echo encourages youth environmentalism in two ways. First, they inspire youth to act by running or supporting programs that encourage youth to get involved in conservation. Second, they create and supply teaching materials for schools. These materials focus on environmental issues, such as environmental sustainability, ocean pollution (mainly plastic ocean pollution), and other environmental problems. The Earth Echo Water Challenge, encourages average people to test their own water supply and share the results online. So far, over 1.5 million people in 146 countries have tested almost 80,000 bodies of water.

In addition to his work with Earth Echo, Philippe advocates for the environment as a t.v. host and journalist. He has worked for such diverse networks as Animal Planet, The BBC, ABC, CNN, Public Radio International, and many more. Philippe has aimed to show people everywhere how our planet is at risk. His work on t.v. has taken him beyond the oceans. He has filmed rare Bengal tigers in Nepal and exposed deforestation in Sumatra. But the oceans remain his first concern. In 2010, Philippe covered the BP oil spill for ABC and CNN and was the first person on t.v. to scuba dive into the spill. His current t.v. project is co-hosting the award-winning show “Caribbean Pirate Treasure“ on The Travel Channel with his wife, fellow journalist and environmentalist, Ashlan Gorse Cousteau.

As if all this wasn’t enough, Philippe has managed to find the time to co-author books for children and teens. His book “Make A Splash“ encourages children to want to learn. His book “Going Blue”  is geared towards giving teens simple tools to allow them to take environmental action on their own. His most recent book, “Follow The Moon Home,” tells the story of a little girl who inspires a whole community to save baby sea turtles.

Everything Philippe Cousteau has done has been in some way part of the “family business.” As he explains to Greg Stone in his interview on The Sea Has Many Voices podcast, one of his biggest concerns is ocean plastic pollution. As he put it, “We’ve gone to places that man has never laid eyes on, and plastic trash was already there. [D]ead whales are considered an environmental hazard because they have so much plastic in them.” Philippe and Ashlan believe that the only way people will take the steps needed to fix this problem is if they are aware of it. And in a world with thousands of entertainment options at our fingertips, the competition for attention is fierce. As Ashlan Cousteau explains, the problem is that people can’t see what is happening to the ocean. “If we did on land what we did to the ocean, people would lose their shit. It’s like [we are] cutting down a forest to get to one squirrel.” “We have to Kim Kardashian the shit out of the ocean” in order to get people aware and involved. “The key,” says Philippe, “is good storytelling. You have to connect the dots for people.”

— Luis L.