Granddaughter of legendary Jacques Cousteau will highlight a “A journey into Florida”
Céline Cousteau, granddaughter of legendary Jacques Cousteau, has accepted the invitation of the Florida Chautauqua Center to be the featured keynote speaker at the official 2011 Florida Chautauqua Assembly in DeFuniak Springs scheduled for Jan. 27 – 30. The program theme is “A Journey into Florida,” and Ms. Cousteau will speak on Friday, January 28 at 9:00 a.m. at the new Walton County High School auditorium.
“We are anticipating an outstanding presentation by Ms. Cousteau,” says Florida Chautauqua Center president Christopher Mitchell. “Her presentation about the significance of protecting our underwater world is timely to the recent environmental disaster we all witnessed this year in the Gulf of Mexico,” he says. “We actually secured Ms. Cousteau prior to the BP oil spill because of our Assembly theme and her and her family’s unique excursions in the ocean waters around the world – places most of us can only dream of ever seeing in person. As an underwater photographer and filmmaker, she is going to enlighten us on the significance of our underwater world off the coast of our great state.”
Whether she’s free-diving, horse riding, leading an expedition to the peaks of the Andes, or swimming amid a school of sharks in the South Pacific, Céline Cousteau seeks to educate through adventure and exploration.
Daughter of ocean explorer and filmmaker Jean-Michel Cousteau and granddaughter of the legendary Jacques Cousteau, she is featured in PBS’ television series, Jean-Michel Cousteau: Ocean Adventures. Fluent in three languages, Cousteau has collaborated with her father’s Ocean Futures Society promoting the educational program, “Ambassadors of the Environment,” throughout her travels. She has worked on the preparation of expeditions, field production, and as an on camera presenter. Cousteau has worked on a documentary for Discovery Channel, aiding scientists conduct research on the many shark species of the Great Barrier Reef. She is also an international spokeswoman for La Prairie cosmetic company, representing their line of Advanced Marine Biology creams and is also Ambassador to the Clean Up the World Campaign and spokesperson for Sea Web’s Too Precious to Wear campaign.
Passionate about intercultural relations, Cousteau received her master’s in international and intercultural management from the School for International Training. She has worked for a number of prestigious organizations, from the University for Peace of United Nations to the Earth Council’s Earth Charter Project. One of her ongoing projects is to create short videos highlighting the work of small, on the ground non-profits around the world as a one-woman production team.
Cousteau is in constant motion, traveling the globe as an educational ambassador. She is a respected symbol for a new generation about our responsibility to protect the natural world. Endeavoring to learn and explore the many regions of the world both above and below water as well as the cultures within them, she seeks to make connections between the human species and our environment. Not just an adventurer and explorer, Cousteau is an incredible storyteller, and connects unique and diverse cultures, showcasing the importance of learning from one another and helping preserve the distinctive beauty of each and every group of people.
The official Florida Chautauqua Assembly is a 4-day, conference-style program in DeFuniak Springs, Florida designed for the whole family which not only includes educational sessions and evening performances relating to the annual theme, but also free, interactive historical and live animal exhibits which compliment the 4-day program. Cousteau’s featured keynote presentation will be at Walton County High School auditorium on Friday, January 28, 9:00 a.m. Tickets are $10 and may be purchased in advance by calling the Florida Chautauqua Center at (850) 892-7613. Guests purchasing money-saving four-day passports for $125 or one-day passes for $60 will have Ms. Cousteau’s presentation included in their packages.
For further information, call the Florida Chautauqua Center office at (850) 892-7613 or log on to their website at www.FloridaChautauquaAssembly.org to review video about Ms. Cousteau, the program schedule to date and other relevant information about the entire event.