History

EarthEcho International was founded in March of 2000 in honor of Philippe Cousteau, who died in 1979, by his widow Jan and their two children Alexandra and Philippe Pierre. The spokespeople for a new 21st century social-environmental movement, Philippe Pierre and Alexandra lead EarthEcho in the spirit and legacy of their father's important work. The third generation of environmentalists, they seek to raise public awareness about the need for a renewed and invigorated march towards global environmental sustainability.

Philippe Sr. once said, "We can find happiness in protecting the world around us not only because we cherish it for its awesome beauty, power, and mystery, but because we cherish our fellow humans, those who live today and those who will live tomorrow, living beings who, like ourselves, will increasingly depend on the environment for happiness and even for life itself."

Philippe Sr. was the son of the late Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and together they were accomplished explorers of the natural world and contributors to the scientific and academic communities. Over many years, Philippe and Jacques identified and documented numerous threats and challenges to the environment. These included issues affecting marine plants and animals, such as conditions of coral reefs, changes in populations of species, water quality, the impact of human activity on the oceans, the status of unique features such as the Florida Everglades, and others. During this time, his team created the films, television programs, books, and other works that allowed people the world over to glimpse the wonders of life on what they termed "our water planet."

The work of Philippe crossed boundaries. He traveled to the farthest reaches and depths of the planet in the name of science, but he brought these places and ideas into people's everyday lives and explained them in ways everyone could understand. His work was about information and description, but it was also about beauty and excitement and adventure. His work was about facts, but moreover it was about making people care. EarthEcho International strives to do all of this, though if we are only half as successful we will have achieved great things.