Jan Cousteau
Arlington, VA
My husband, Philippe Cousteau, taught me the importance of caring for the environment back in 1966. Prior to meeting him, I didn’t think about where my food came from or where the trash went after it left my wastebasket or how much pollution my car was causing. I didn’t know the oceans were suffering, that the marine mammals, fish, and coral reefs were in mortal danger. But I learned that the Earth wasn’t so big that the human race couldn’t change it dramatically. I am amazed by our impact on the planet. The oceans are polluted by our waste, our unwanted trash, our oil, the runoff from our farms. Our air is polluted by our big industries, our chemicals in the streams, rivers and lakes. We overfish our seas, we cut down our beautiful forests, our ice caps are melting, our climate is changing and too many of us are not noticing. Looking at this rapid degradation, perhaps we are wondering what can we do? At least I hope so.
My Earth Echo started with my marriage. It started a little at a time and soon I wanted to make my own difference. I learned so much from the Cousteau films that showed people the beauties of our planet. Philippe’s 6 part series, “Oasis in Space” in 1976 brought many of the current problems to light, such as the impact of lead paint on human health and industrial pollution. I kept working on ways that I could make a difference and we had children by then so their welfare was most important. I decided to change the habits that didn’t fit in with my new earthecho and became more aware of my voting record so that it would support good candidates whose voting practices showed responsibility for a cleaner environment, more National Parks, responsible farming practices, and wild spaces set aside for wildlife. I found that there were other small ways to make a difference each day for my family: fresh foods from local farms, meats from grass fed cows, organic milk and egg and cheese products. I read books about industrial farms and where to find small farmers. I use cleaning products that will not hurt me, or the dog, or the water supply, or the planet.
My earthecho reverberates around me. Though it’s a small piece of all that must be done, I hope that if I add that to millions of other little actions - your earthecho added to mine, to theirs, to everyone’s - that together we will make a resounding echo that will one day circle the Earth.
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