Accents
The Cousteau legacy
Hilton Head, South Carolina, Feb. 21 — From the influx of tourists that visit Hilton Head, most recent visitor to this island resort was Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the legendary underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau. Said Fabien: “While it is a privileged area, the island is a good example of how a community can live in a symbiotic relationship with nature.” (I’m putting off Hilton Head Island for a future column re its strong environmental protection that places our Boracay below par.)
Following in the footsteps of his famous grandfather Jacques and father Jean-Michel Cousteau, Fabien uses filmmaking to spread a message of environmental awareness. He documents his undersea adventures as a means of educating the public about wildlife protection and preservation of the ocean habitat. The documentaries served as the best teaching tool to his audience of high school students in the Student Training Empowerment Program about the environment. Stressing that environmental awareness is a responsibility and a necessity, he said that young scientists today need not be stuck in a lab but can be outside exploring the environment and having fun while making a difference.
This from his bio: “Fabien Cousteau follows the legacy of his renowned grandfather on whose ships he was part of the crew. He holds a degree in environmental economics from Boston University. With his father, Jean-Michel, he continues to carry on the tradition of adventure and exploration in the deep ocean that was pioneered by Jacques Yves Cousteau.”
Jacques Cousteau introduced the public to a world of sharks, whales, dolphins, sunken treasure, and coral reefs. His films include The Silent World (1956) and World Without Sun (1966). Both won Academy Awards for best documentary. His books include The Living Sea (1963), Dolphins (1975), and Jacques Cousteau: The Ocean World (1985). An inspiration to those wanting to explore the resources of the “blue continent,” he founded the Cousteau Society, a worldwide organization aimed to protect ocean life. Before his death in 1997, Jacques Cousteau was a regular consultant of the UN and the World Bank.
The son, Jean-Michel, was the direct inheritor of the Cousteau legacy. Jean-Michel himself developed a global education program called the Ambassadors of the Environment “dedicated to creating a new perspective for humankind’s relationship to its surroundings by focusing on lifestyles that do not undermine the vitality of the planet’s life support system. The Ambassadors program also inspires a sense of hope and optimism in [the] youth along with the knowledge and tools to take positive action.”
From Jacques Cousteau, this remarkable quote is something to ponder: “When one man, for whatever reason, has the opportunity to live an extraordinary life, he has no right to keep it to himself.” True to his words, the forerunner of ocean explorations had the legacy handed down to his son and grandson and to generations yet to come.
In grateful acknowledgment of the wealth of knowledge that has enriched mankind, naturalist Terry Tempest Williams says it for us all: “Let us toast twice. First, to the older generation: May your days come to be many, full of comfort and understanding. May they be spent knowing that those days past have held a completeness uncommon and unknown to many, and that every detail of your being continues in the lives of those who follow. To the younger generation: May we accept these gifts, knowing that they are of this tradition, of this old-fashioned courage, of ethics, and that they can be carried along forever like rusting relics or they can be worn as wings. Let us wear them as wings.”
Jean-Michel and Fabien Cousteau continue to wear the metaphorical wings to fathom the ocean depths. So can you and I, in big and small ways — within our God-endowed capabilities, in extraordinary or ordinary times, whether in sea or land come high or low water. (Comments to lagoc@hargray.com)