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For Immediate Release

Philippe Cousteau, Jr.’s EarthEcho International Launches New Adventure-Inspired Educational Tools and Resources for Youth Worldwide With EarthEcho Expedition: Beyond the Dead Zone

Documentary Videos, Educational Materials, Service Learning Resources and Lesson Plans Provided Online, Free-of-Charge

Washington, DC (February 10, 2015) – EarthEcho International, the environmental education and youth leadership nonprofit organization co-founded and led by Philippe Cousteau, Jr., has released a dynamic collection of standard-aligned educational materials and documentary videos on their second youth expedition, EarthEcho Expedition: Beyond the Dead Zone. Educators and students can access the materials by registering online at www.EarthEcho.org.

In September 2014, Cousteau led scientists, researchers and students from South Florida and Latin America on an expedition to explore how human-driven development and agriculture have impacted Southern Florida’s unique natural ecosystems. Beginning in Central Florida, the team studied the impact that nutrient-rich agricultural runoff has on the Everglades and innovative improvements made through natural resource management. Downstream, the Expedition dove with marine biologists on the coral reefs of Biscayne Bay to explore how climate change and ocean acidification poses a threat to coral reef ecosystems.

“The goal of each EarthEcho Expedition is to inspire and empower youth around the world with the knowledge and tools to take an active role in protecting critical natural resources in their own communities,” explained Cousteau. “The waters of South Florida are a sanctuary for abundant species of fish and invertebrates; it provided our Expedition with the opportunity to show how the smallest changes in water quality can have devastating consequences for corals and other shell-forming creatures.”

The EarthEcho Expedition: Beyond the Dead Zone classroom resources include the following:

• Documentary Style Educational Videos hosted by Philippe Cousteau that explore the impacts of agricultural runoff on the Everglades, and the connection to water quality and coral reef health downstream.
• STEM Career Close-up Videos featuring marine biologist Ilsa Kuffner of the U.S. Geological Survey and research scientist Lou Toth of the South Florida Water Management District.
• Service Learning in Action Videos detail how groups of young people are taking action to mitigate environmental issues in South Florida. Students at Rockway Middle School in Miami, FL, grew corals to learn about the critical ecosystem services that the reefs provide off Florida’s coast. Through an exchange program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and World Learning Inc., Ecuadorian, Colombian, and Peruvian youth worked with South Florida Water Management District scientists to restore a section of the roughly 60,000 acres of Stormwater Treatment Areas.
• Standards Aligned Lesson Plans and activities that explain science concepts explored during the Expedition, including the urban water cycle and ocean acidification.
• Action Guides for teachers and students to help solve environmental issues in their own communities, including EarthEcho's RainCheck Action Guide, which includes stormwater audit tools, schoolyard mapping and other resources to help youth manage stormwater in their greater community.

EarthEcho Expedition: Beyond the Dead Zone was made possible through the participation and sponsorship of: Biscayne National Park; Everglades Youth Conservation Camp; Google; iPrep Academy Magnet School; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; Nature Escapes Eco Tours; The North Face; Rockway Middle School; Source for Learning; South Florida Water Management District; St. Petersburg Coastal and Marine Science Center; Toyota USA Foundation; U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs; U.S. Geological Survey; and World Learning Inc.

About EarthEcho Expeditions
EarthEcho Expeditions is an annual program that travels the world to engage young people in a voyage of discovery. Inspired by the work and legacy of Jacques-Yves Cousteau and Philippe Cousteau, Sr., EarthEcho Expeditions leverages the thrill of adventure to bring science education alive for today’s 21st century learners. EarthEcho Expeditions transforms learning for middle- and high-school students through three phases - explore, engage and act. Launched in September 2013 with the first expedition EarthEcho Expedition: Into the Dead Zone, EarthEcho Expeditions explored one of the world’s largest aquatic dead zones located in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay.

Photos are available for download at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/earthecho/sets/72157650735149125 and https://www.flickr.com/photos/earthecho/sets/72157650312654307/

For more information, visit earthecho.org/expeditions and follow us on social media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/earthecho
Instagram: @EarthEcho
Twitter: @EarthEcho
Google+: www.google.com/+EarthEcho

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