Alexandra Cousteau

Alexandra Cousteau is an explorer of our water planet. And when it comes to authentic and impactful storytelling, expeditions are just as important today as they were when Captain Cousteau first sealed cameras in Bell jars to explore the depths. But exploration is not just about discovery: it’s also about leadership and innovation.

Highlighting the revolutionary inventions made by her grandfather and the cutting-edge ways that Blue Legacy reaches a worldwide audience, speaker Alexandra Cousteau encourages everyone to be an explorer – and protector – of our water planet, because as the primary shareholders who enjoy the dividends of healthy water systems, we are all connected, and we are all in this together.

Cousteau brings audiences on a journey from her earliest memories with her grandfather teaching her to scuba dive to her many adventures today. Along the way, she provides a unique perspective on how important it is to be not only an endlessly curious observer of the world but also an active participant in its preservation. Cousteau is leading communities to “take back” their water and make an investment in their future guaranteed to pay dividends.

On December 7, 1972, the crew of the Apollo 17 spacecraft took a photograph of the Earth at a distance of about 45,000 km. This iconic picture – The Blue Marble – captured what can only be truly appreciated from space: the fact that we live on a water planet. Yet while 70 percent of Earth is covered by water, only a tiny percentage (0.001 percent) of that water is fit for human consumption and accessible to aquatic and terrestrial species. Although the amount of water on the planet has remained nearly the same since the Earth was first formed, human impacts have substantially reduced the amount of water that is available for us to drink, fish from, and swim in.

As our blue planet continues its orbit, environmental advocate and speaker Alexandra Cousteau urges us to view global water issues not as a disparate collection of unrelated problems, but rather through a systems-based approach that recognizes the fundamental interconnectivity of these issues and places renewed emphasis on protecting our planet’s most vital resource.

Cousteau advocates an approach that recognizes how crucial it is to preserve natural water systems while taking into account the numerous demands, threats, and developments within a watershed. From managing resources and addressing pollution to planning appropriately for the placement of cities, factories, and farms, we must focus on careful economic planning and ecosystem-based management to preserve and sustain a healthy Earth for generations to come.

While she has traveled across the globe to the most remote and exotic locations imaginable, speaker Alexandra Cousteau’s greatest discovery was giving birth to her baby daughter. This transformative experience has reinforced her conviction in the importance of protecting our water planet and has given her the chance to reach out to mothers and women everywhere to provide them with a message of inspiration to lead a pioneering life – and to never give up on their dreams.

As women increasingly compete for the highest-level positions in politics and the workforce of the 21st century, they face new challenges balancing the demands of their career and family life. Yet the new century presents many exciting new opportunities. Highly educated, empowered with technology, and driven by the notion that nothing less than complete equality on all fronts will suffice, women are not only impacting the agenda – they are writing it.

Cousteau tells a story about going against the grain – taking chances in life and following her own vision – in order to demonstrate why women are so critical to shaping the future that we – and our precious children – will inhabit.