EarthEcho International

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EarthEcho International

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EarthEcho's mission is to build a global youth movement to protect and restore our ocean planet.

EarthEcho International is a nonprofit 501c3 organization founded in 2005 by siblings Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau in honor of their father Philippe Cousteau Sr., son of the legendary explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau. EarthEcho collaborates with youth around the world to provide knowledge and develop tools that drive meaningful environmental action to protect and restore our ocean planet. Reaching more than 2 million people in 146 countries, we support the next generation to become environmental leaders who will transform the future. Our core programs are designed as a path of action for youth to become leaders and change the world. We focus our efforts in the following areas:
- Fostering Youth Leadership
- Mobilizing Communities
- Educating Students and Training Teachers

10/20/2026

Celebrating a big ocean win! California has approved two new tribally-led marine protected areas (MPAs): Mishopshno and Point Sal! These special places along the Santa Barbara coast are home to thriving kelp forests, nursery habitat for young white sharks, and culturally significant waters.

EarthEcho is proud of the young people in our Ocean Protection Ambassador program who have worked alongside regional partners to make this milestone possible. From leading campus presentations and educational workshops to elevating community support for MPAs and sharing public comments at California Fish and Game Commission meetings, our Ambassadors helped build momentum for protecting these special places.

At a time when many ocean protections face growing challenges, this is a win worth celebrating! Read more from our partners at NRDC https://www.nrdc.org/press-releases/ca-fish-and-game-commission-votes-protect-sensitive-coastline-areas

Photo: Jordan Manning

10/19/2026

Since October 18, 1972, the Clean Water Act has set science-backed standards for our waterways, putting strict limits on sewage pollution. That means healthier habitats and stronger communities. But every storm that sends runoff into our rivers, lakes, and ocean reminds us that protecting water takes all of us.

EarthEcho has long been a proud supporter of global youth action, including offering projects to promote stormwater stewardship and water quality monitoring, one local waterway at a time.

Interested in getting involved?
🧪 Join the EarthEcho Water Challenge! Test your waterway with an EarthEcho Water Testing Kit, add your data to a global database, and carry the spirit of the far beyond U.S. borders. Learn more at monitorwater.org
💧 Lillian Williams coordinated a GenSea Stormwater Stewardship cleanup event in NorthCarolina to clean up litter around Jordan Lake. Lillian shares the impact of seeing waste left in their precious body of water: "Physically picking up garbage around Jordan Lake showed me how plastic lingers in our bodies of water. Some of the garbage was aging in the sun, not breaking down, and nobody had ever stopped to pick it up."
🌎 Youth ages 13–25 can be part of GenSea, EarthEcho’s free online community connecting thousands of young ocean advocates around the world with opportunities to engage in local water activities. Visit joingensea.org to get started!

10/18/2026

The GenSea Artivism Challenge is created by youth, for youth! 🌊🎨

JOIN our virtual kickoff with Co-Moderators Marlin and Arushi, members of our GenSea Artivism Planning Committee, which brings together members of EarthEcho’s Youth Leadership Council and Bow Seat’s Future Blue Youth Council.

🌎Marlin Xie is an artist and founder of the Youth Oceanic Initiative (EarthEcho YLC)
🌎Arushi Surve is a climate activist and founder of Mission Green Global (Bow Seat FBYC)

Through the GenSea Artivism Challenge, GenSea members will host community art workshops where participants create collages with recycled materials to raise awareness about ocean biodiversity and inspire action to implement the High Seas Treaty.
🌊 REGISTER NOW and turn your creativity into action! https://joingensea.org

10/17/2026

A promise to protect the ocean means little until it shows up in the water itself. As we head toward COP17 in Armenia, that is the idea we keep returning to. Governments have committed to protecting at least 30% of the ocean by 2030, yet only about 10% is designated today. Current commitments would bring us to roughly 12%, a gap that is hard to ignore with just four years remaining.

That gap is why more than 140 organizations, Indigenous leaders, scientists, and young people have issued a global call for action. We are asking governments to:
—Turn ambition into action by protecting the places that matter most.
—Make protection effective through proper management, funding, and safeguards.
—Place people and rights at the heart of 30x30, honoring Indigenous Peoples and local communities.
—Unlock long-term finance that reaches those already doing the work.
—Protect the high seas by implementing the High Seas Treaty.

New polling of 20,000 people across 20 countries shows almost 8 in 10 want governments to move much faster. At EarthEcho, we see that readiness in the young people we work alongside. We give youth the tools, training, and connections to take action for our ocean and freshwater ecosystems, because they will inherit what we choose to protect today.

As our global youth delegation heads to the UN Biodiversity Conference COP17, we will bring these calls directly to decision-makers, building on the efforts of our global community of young ocean advocates. Learn more and read the full declaration: https://deliverocean30x30.org/.
Success depends on how much ocean we protect, and on how well we protect it. 🌊

10/16/2026

On October 3, the Brooklyn Bridge became a window into the Hudson Canyon, and EarthEcho Ocean Protection Ambassador Angelica Wong was there to explain the wonder of this underwater region with passersby.

The Aqua Cosmos projection is a large-scale project designed to bring public attention to the Hudson Canyon, an area considered for the first National Marine Sanctuary off the coasts of New York, through large-screen video capturing the magic and mystery of this ecosystem. This builds on the work that the NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is leading.

While participating in this event, Angelica spoke with families who stopped to take part, including kids who eagerly signed postcards in support of protecting the canyon. Many visitors had never heard of the Hudson Canyon, so simply introducing this region’s significance was the goal.

Angelica noted the wider impact of the effort: “It's significant that one of the biggest cities in the world is working towards protecting its nearby waters, which is important for the many coastal cities that a large percentage of people in the world live in.”

Protecting the Hudson Canyon would move the U.S. closer to its 30x30 goals, as well as international ones. And as an Ocean Protection Ambassador, Angelica has been able to reach new audiences and connect with others working on the behalf of this journey.

10/15/2026

Decisions about the future of our ocean are being made right now, and the people who will inherit that future must be part of those conversations.

EarthEcho International is proud to bring youth leaders from five countries to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s 17th Conference of the Parties (C*D COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia.

🌊Meet EarthEcho’s youth leaders: Jhaylin Cruz, Kendall Ford, Gabriela Casuso Hernández, Surasma Lamichhane, Nina Shetty, Vincenzo Valle, and Kjeld Werther.

Young ocean advocates are a driving force behind protecting marine biodiversity and reaching the goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030. At COP17, our youth delegates will call on governments to accelerate progress toward 30x30, strengthen effective ocean protection, and ensure young people have a meaningful role in shaping and implementing global biodiversity commitments.

Will we see you there? Check out the events we’re cohosting at *DCOP17 through the link in our bio. www.earthecho.org/news/earthecho-youth-leaders-head-to-armenia-for-cbd-cop17

10/14/2026

🌊🎨 Lead, create, and make art for ocean conservation! Join the virtual kickoff of the final GenSea Action Challenge of 2026: the GenSea Artivism Challenge!🐙🌏

This collaboration between Bow Seat: Creative Action for Conservation and EarthEcho's GenSea community invites young ocean advocates to host community workshops where participants make collages from recycled materials to raise awareness about protecting ocean biodiversity and urge world leaders to implement the High Seas Treaty.

At our virtual kickoff event, you’ll:
🖌️ Explore how art can be a powerful tool for activism
🪼 Learn about the High Seas Treaty and protecting biodiversity in international waters
🌏 Meet the GenSea Artivism Challenge Team and GenSea members from around the world
💸 Get a first look at project funding opportunities (first-come, first-served)
No art experience needed! Just creativity and passion for the ocean.

Let’s turn creativity into action and make waves together! 🌊 Visit joingensea.org

10/13/2026

We're proud to join over 40 groups in supporting new California Marine Protected Areas! Our Ocean Protection Ambassadors have been working alongside partners to build support for expanding California’s MPA network and advancing the state’s commitment to protecting 30% of its ocean waters by 2030.

With the California Fish and Game Commission meeting October 14–16 to consider proposals that strengthen ocean protection, this is a critical moment to safeguard vital marine habitats, support tribally-led conservation, and help marine wildlife thrive.
Together, we can build a healthier, more resilient future for California’s ocean!

Learn more at https://www.nrdc.org/bio/sandy-aylesworth/california-decides-marine-protected-areas-fall

10/12/2026

The mangrove forests of Puerto Rico have long anchored the island's coastline, offering nursery habitat and shelter for fish, birds, and marine life, sustaining the livelihoods and traditions of coastal communities, and buffering the island from hurricanes, storm surge, and erosion. Yet these vital ecosystems continue to be lost to development, pollution, and climate-driven storms.

As part of EarthEcho’s 2026 Blue Carbon Ambassador program, we are so happy to partner once again with Surfrider Puerto Rico as they work to support our four Puerto Rico-based Ambassadors, Esteban Morales Román, Ismael Agosto Rivera, Kamila Pérez, and Rui Loureiro.

Through the Blue Carbon Ambassadors program, we aim to provide young people the tools, training, and real-world experience they need to lead lasting, community-driven change. We're grateful for our partners' continued commitment to youth leadership, their support in expanding awareness of the sustainable blue economy, and dedication to strengthening coastal resilience by advancing mangrove restoration efforts.

10/09/2026

As world leaders prepare to gather at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference COP17, the recently released Ocean Protection Gap Report 2026 highlights the urgent need to scale up ocean protection. While 10% of marine and coastal areas are reported as protected, up from 8.6% last year, just 3.5% is assessed as effectively protected, Meanwhile, advancing protections on the High Seas, which cover nearly two-thirds of the global ocean, remains a major opportunity to close the gap as we work to achieve the 30x30 ocean target. The report's findings underscore the importance of both protecting more of the ocean and protecting it well through durable finance, transparent data, inclusive and equitable approaches, and effective management and enforcement.

EarthEcho’s Ocean Protection Ambassadors are driving campaigns to advance new marine protected areas and calling for stronger management of existing ones, working to ensure ocean protections are both expanded and effective. Read more at: https://for-the-ocean.org/ocean-protection-gap-report/

Address

1025 Thomas Jefferson Street NW Suite 400 West
Washington D.C., DC
20007

Telephone

+12023503190

Website

http://earthecho.org/donate

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