04 April 2010

ALEXANDRA COUSTEAU




Nearly a year ago, I wrote a post summarizing the story of father and son Jacques and Philippe Cousteau. Each man explored and told the story of the world ocean from his own perspective -- one from beneath the water, one from the air. Phllippe's premature death was a shocking blow to his family, to the environmental and oceanographic communities, and to me personally.

Today I learned that the legacy lives on. In addition to the conservation activities of another Cousteau son, Jean-Michel, a new generation of the family has emerged to public prominence. Philippe's daughter Alexandra Cousteau, like the reast of her family, was introduced to the undersea realm at an early age. In a NYTimes article, Alexandra tells her own impressive story with elegant simplicity. Her chosen path of activism is the media, in writing and producing documentaries about the environment and water issues around the globe. She founded Blue Legacy International to further her efforts.

It is reassuring to this writer that there are still Cousteaus in the world to remind us of things we've forgotten, and to illuminate things we never knew.






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