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Photo by Jacob Mathias
Cousteau visits Stevens Point
The Pointer
mbiem244@uwsp.edu
Renowned environmentalist Jean-Michel Cousteau has spent the week in Stevens Point conducting workshops for high school and University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point students, and will conclude his stop in the area with a public talk and film presentation tonight.
The presentation, “The Great Ocean Adventures of Jean-Michel Cousteau,” will be held at 7 p.m. at the Sentry Theater. The event is sponsored by the Sentry Invitation to the Arts. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the UWSP Information and Ticket Center.
Thursday’s film presentation will include clips of a number of Cousteau’s films with commentary by the man himself.
“I try to adapt to the audience that I’m going to meet,” said Cousteau. “More than likely I’m going to talk about … the toxicity of the ocean and what we are doing to it.”
In addition to environmental diplomacy, Cousteau has produced over 75 films and a six-part PBS television series, “Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Adventures.” He has won an Emmy, the Peabody Award, the seven d’Or and the Cable Ace Award.
Cousteau comes from a notable background. His father, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, was an explorer, inventor, filmmaker and environmental activist. Among Jacques-Yves’ achievements are the invention of the SCUBA and the creation of over 115 television films and 50 books. Today, The Cousteau Society and Equipe Cousteau continue his environmental and educational work and are based in the United States and France, respectively.
Cousteau’s father also won multiple awards for his film, “The Silent World” including an Oscar and the Palm d’Or.
Cousteau is currently producing a film celebrating the legacy and contributions of his father Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
In his father’s footsteps, Cousteau has founded his own nonprofit organization, The Ocean Futures Society.
“The mission of Ocean Futures Society is to explore our global ocean, inspiring and educating people throughout the world to act responsibly for its protection, documenting the critical connection between humanity and nature, and celebrating the ocean’s vital importance to the survival of all life on our planet,” said the society’s Web site, http://www.oceanfutures.org.
The priorities of Ocean Futures include increasing the availability of clean water to all people, protecting coastal marine habitats and marine mammals, and creating sustainable fisheries.
The efforts of Cousteau and Ocean Futures have been instrumental in the success of several environmental projects.
“His collaboration with Green Cross International and the Natural Resources Defense Council on issues of global water security, protection of sensitive marine areas, prevention of oil spills and prevention of the use of damaging sonar systems have been long-standing achievements,” said the Ocean Futures Society Web site.
In recognition of his outstanding work, Cousteau was awarded the Environmental Hero Award by Vice President Al Gore in 1998 and the first Ocean Hero Award from Oceana in 2003, among numerous other accolades.
“We need to explore; we need to better understand,” said Cousteau. “To me it’s as exciting as going into space.”
For more information on Cousteau and the Ocean Futures Society, visit www.oceanfutures.org.
“Follow your dream. Go where you want to go,” said Cousteau. “I wanted to become an architect to build cities underwater, and I did.”
