EcoWatch Journal February/March 2011 : Page 1

feb -march 2011 05 07 08 10 12 Cleveland Film Fest MedWish Saves Lives To ‘Frack’ or Not to ‘Frack’? Environmental Policy Watch Local Food Economy www.ecowatch.org EARTHECHO EMPOWERS YOUTH TO TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT OUR WATER PLANET BY MIA DEMEZZA, EARTHECHO INTERNATIONAL Since its founding a decade ago to honor the work of ocean researcher and explorer Philippe Cousteau, Sr., EarthEco International has helped young people to work to restore and protect our water planet through environ-mental projects, citizen journalism and other programs. Cousteau Sr. was killed in a plane crash in 1979, and today his son, Philippe Cousteau carries on the legacy of his father and grandfather, the legendary Captain Jacques Cousteau, who died in 1997. That legacy is one of devo-tion to conserving and restoring the oceans for all people of the world to share and enjoy. The youngest Cousteau is the CEO of EarthEcho, a nonprofit which he co-founded with his mother Jan and his sister Alexandra. EarthEcho believes that now is the time to embrace the new promise of a just, healthy and abundant water planet. To achieve this, however, a new generation must take action to restore and protect our water planet. Education combined with service-learning offers a tremendous opportunity to empower such a generation, but there has traditionally been few ocean-related service-learning resources available on a national scale. EarthEcho’s programs work to fill these voids in ways that unite the efforts of other prominent organizations to identify and engage the most promising leaders of tomorrow in the struggle for ocean health today. While growing up, EarthEcho International co-founder and CEO Philippe Cousteau remembers his grandfather telling him that water is the single most precious substance on the planet. It is not only an entry point to discuss envi-ronmental issues, it is also an aspect of our everyday lives. Now in the 21st Century, the health of salt and fresh water systems is in even more of a crisis than the young Cousteau imagined while growing up. Already one-fifth of the world’s population lives without an adequate supply of fresh water. As the primary driver of our climate, oceans play a huge role in regulating the abundance and dispersion of fresh water resources, the scarcity of which is causing more and more con-flicts around the world, in places such as Darfur. Oceans are also the primary protein source for almost two billion people and rising, and are the source of a wealth of other resources for economies worldwide. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 Philippe Cousteau Grandson of Captain Jacques Cousteau and environmental leader and advocate working to protect the planet’s water. Keynote Speaker ’s Third Annual APRIL 8 • 7 PM • EXECUTIVE CATERERS BUY TICKETS AT WWW.ECOWATCH.ORG Thank you to the following sponsors: INTERESTED IN SPONSORING THE GREEN GALA? CALL STEFANIE AT 216-387-1609.

EarthEcho Empowers Youth to Take Action

Mia Demezza

Since its founding a decade ago to honor the work of ocean researcher and explorer Philippe Cousteau, Sr., EarthEco International has helped young people to work to restore and protect our water planet through environmental projects, citizen journalism and other programs. Cousteau Sr. Was killed in a plane crash in 1979, and today his son, Philippe Cousteau carries on the legacy of his father and grandfather, the legendary Captain Jacques Cousteau, who died in 1997. That legacy is one of devotion to conserving and restoring the oceans for all people of the world to share and enjoy. The youngest Cousteau is the CEO of EarthEcho, a nonprofit which he co-founded with his mother Jan and his sister Alexandra. EarthEcho believes that now is the time to embrace the new promise of a just, healthy and abundant water planet. To achieve this, however, a new generation must take action to restore and protect our water planet. Education combined with service-learning offers a tremendous opportunity to empower such a generation, but there has traditionally been few ocean-related servicelearning resources available on a national scale. EarthEcho’s programs work to fill these voids in ways that unite the efforts of other prominent organizations to identify and engage the most promising leaders of tomorrow in the struggle for ocean health today. While growing up, EarthEcho International co-founder and CEO Philippe Cousteau remembers his grandfather telling him that water is the single most precious substance on the planet. It is not only an entry point to discuss environmental issues, it is also an aspect of our everyday lives.Now in the 21st Century, the health of salt and fresh water systems is in even more of a crisis than the young Cousteau imagined while growing up. Already one-fifth of the world’s population lives without an adequate supply of fresh water. As the primary driver of our climate, oceans play a huge role in regulating the abundance and dispersion of fresh water resources, the scarcity of which is causing more and more conflicts around the world, in places such as Darfur.Oceans are also the primary protein source for almost two billion people and rising, and are the source of a wealth of other resources for economies worldwide. If we want to save and protect our water for future generations, then we must empower youth with the knowledge, technology and tools to become tomorrow’s change agents. We must empower a new generation to understand the connections between their communities’ priorities and today’s critical ocean and fresh water issues, and to engage their community members to take part in sustainable actions that benefit our water planet. WATER PLANET CHALLENGE EarthEcho International’s Water Planet Challenge is a national call-to-action that empowers young people to lead efforts to protect our water planet. The challenge equips educators and students with interactive tools and resources they need to improve their communities through waterfocused projects. Through the challenge, middle and high school students learn to design and implement environmental projects that address vital environmental problems in their communities. Thanks to the partnership with Discovery Education, and with major funding from Toyota USA Foundation, the Water Planet Challenge has the potential to reach more than 25 million students. The challenge delivers high-quality education to young people by: • Providing comprehensive science-based environmental education materials, tools and resources; • Supplying step-by-step action guides that walk students through the development of a project from investigation to completion; and • Incorporating standards-aligned lesson plans that allow middle and high school teachers and students to explore the impact of local action in the context of their local environment. STREAM STREAM provides students, educators and community leaders with the resources they need to establish youthfocused citizen journalism bureaus in their own communities. STREAM’s resources and tools include: • A multi-media digital publishing platform for student journalist stories; • Professional development resources for youth citizen journalists, including downloadable guides, instructional videos, and on-line workshops; • In-person training workshops with industry professionals and leadership programs for youth in the field of environmental journalism; and • The establishment of the youth citizen journalism “news bureaus” in multiple markets across the country. Launched last year at the 6th Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, STREAM puts the power of citizen journalism in the hands of young people. STREAM provides youth with the training and resources to bring national attention to the impact environmental issues have on their communities by highlighting their unique perspectives. GOING BLUE Going Blue: A Teen Guide to Saving Our Oceans, Lakes, Rivers, & Wetlands informs youth about the issues surrounding our waters and provides the strategies and examples they need to see themselves as change agents. The book is a partnership between EarthEcho, author Cathryn Berger Kaye—an international leader in the field of servicelearning— and Free Spirit Publishing.

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