BTC and Artists And Athletes Alliance Host An LA Evening WIth Philippe Cousteau
Subscribe to the Blog RSS FeedWhen I was a kid I would swim out as far as I could, take a deep breath, and begin my dive in my attempt to reach the bottom of the ocean. I never made it. Last week I was surprised to learn that only two people ever have.
This revelation came about thanks to a briefing on the BP oil spill and its consequences that BTC co-hosted last week with our friends, The Artists and Athletes Alliance. The headliner was environmentalist and President/CEO of EarthEcho International, Philippe Cousteau, who told an audience of actors and activists that “More men have landed on the moon than have landed on the deepest part of our own planet.”
Philippe and his sister Alexandra founded EarthEcho International to honor their father Philippe Cousteau, and to continue the ocean exploration and conservation legacy inspired by their legendary grandfather, Jacques Cousteau.
Doctor Corey Hebert, a prominent New Orleans physician served as the moderator of our Artists and Athletes Alliance event. He brought to light the very serious needs of the residents of the Gulf and how it’s not just about cleaning up the oil: post traumatic stress disorder is prevalent among many in the Gulf.
He goes into further detail here about the impact of the disaster, on Countdown with Keith Oibermann.
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Like his grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau, Philippe isn’t afraid to try what’s never been done before. Philippe made history by becoming among the first to dive and film in an oil spill (CNN's Amber Lyon joined him on the dive).
Normally, diving into the ocean is one of the most refreshing things you can do. Not on this trip. Before diving through dispersed toxic oil laying on top of the water, Philippe had to put on a hazmat suit (a suit made out of rubber that allows no water to touch the skin no matter how long you are underwater), gloves, a full-face mask, and a rubber hood that stuck to his face. The dangers of being in the water were unknown so every safety measure was used. Philippe went down about 30 feet, and was surrounded by what he described as” tomato Campbell soup.” This was a point of view of the spill that was unique.
Here, Philippe describes the experience.
And here is the dive itself, broadcast on CNN.
Philippe definitely became my favorite explorer when he suggested the most important thing we can do to recover from this disaster “is not take for granted the sacrifices millions have made on our behalf” for the freedoms we enjoy.
He urged us to make use of critical thinking, to be informed on what is happening, to be advocates, to vote, and to not take for granted the lives of those who served and died for our way of life. Coming from a military family, and with my brother currently serving in Afghanistan, I am always appreciative of efforts to recognize the sacrifices of our servicemen and women.
Philippe also discussed the differences between the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill & the Gulf Oil Spill:
Here are some more highlights of the discussion:
It was an incredible and enlightening evening. Among those in attendance were: Actress Alyssa Milano, Actor Stephen Baldwin, Musician Jason Mraz, Angela Kinsey (The Office), Edward James Olmos, Supermodel Tricia Helfer, Jorja Fox (CSI), David Berman (CSI), Eric Szmanda (CSI), Timothy Curran (surfer), Ryan Bingham (Oscar winning song writer for movie Crazy Heart), Mathew St. Patrick (Six Feet Under), Dylan Ramsey (Nip Tuck), Actress and Broadway Star Sheryl Lee Ralph
Here are some of the responses we got after the event:
And here are Dr. Hebert's thoughts:
The event reinforced what I believe deep in my heart: when disaster strikes, we all have a role to play in helping respond. If you'd like to volunteer to do something to help the Gulf Coast recover from this devastating oil spill, this is a good place to start.
