Tag: Fabien Cousteau

The Atlantic Ocean, Ponce Inlet Florida

World Ocean Day Eternally ©

June 7, 2021 / / 3 Comments

© By Suzanne Maxx  and  Isabel Johanson

“World Ocean Day” could be every day-but it is today now, June 8th, 2021.  With the leadership from the youth, along with each one of us altogether, we might begin to attribute every breath in gratitude for the ocean’s ability to clean the air and all it does and provides for as a home, beyond time. To Ocean Day, eternally.

While many are called to explore the ultimate mystery of the ocean, becoming intimate with the ocean can be a gift like love. A love that lives within us all, nurtured through growing greater respect by being in the ocean and learning through both science and experiential education from its constant change.

This year begins the “Ocean Decade” with a priority collectively to transform humans’ relationship with the ocean, globally by the year 2030 (ideally sooner) through the United Nations Global Goals or (SDGs). World Team Now teamed up with others and set ambitious global goals in 2017 joining through the UN Ocean Conference Sustainable Development Goal #14 in our voluntary commitment with the SOS-IS partnership to demonstrate solutions of systems on islands. Although we have been delayed we continue to forge forward and completed a campaign with Biodiversity; Sea Turtles and Cetacean Experiential Research. From planting Mangrove seeds to seeing what the ocean surprises us with on this island, we grow our capacity to be lifelong learners in action.

We were able to join in communication with some of the global communities we’ve been part of around the world in these past decades journeying for the World Team project, virtually from Samoa, Fiji, Singapore, Monaco, Spain, France, Africa, and Japan. Seeing the Starlink Satellites launch regularly inspired the gifts of innovative technology, which has brought us collectively opportunities to learn and grow from our connectivity.

This past year living on an island locally, we were fortunate to remain connected with our coastal communities around the USA; in Hawaii, off California, Massachusetts, and Florida. We discovered more natural-based solutions which led to the development of World Team Now’s Ocean Curriculum. Floating in the ocean, with wild dolphins who chose to join almost daily, inspired us through a year with a myriad of collective crises in 2020.

Being with the ocean and going out to float afforded an opportunity to learn directly from the ocean itself. With the remarkable nexus of the ocean-atmosphere and all species, we heard and witnessed the challenges and begun to discover more opportunities where we might apply solutions. We are looking forward to the chance to share more through this decade together.

Responsibility to the ocean to clean-up and transform ocean plastics, to become more resilient on developing alternative systems on islands –that live with the ocean is just the beginning. From cleaning up the shipping industry, supporting artisanal fishing, cutting farm fishing subsidies, and tackling global agreements with biodiversity and law of the sea- all are needed. There is a myriad of challenges to discover more solutions and for collective action. Here are some of the many events happening now; From WTN’s Pioneer for the Planet Award recipient, Fabien Cousteau, watch the OLC’s channel, or the Explorer’s Club, or the United Nations’ High-Level Debate on the Ocean, read about Boris Herrmann’s Malizia Mangrove Park project with 350.000 mangroves planted and World Ocean Day.

With this year’s theme for World Oceans Day, “The Ocean: Lives and Livelihood,” we are focused on our bi-coastal communities and what we can do for future generations to empower all to gain greater respect for the ocean. It is the youths’ future we have borrowed from, and it is their lives, livelihood, and future that is innocently at stake, as they have inherited the state of the planet. Here are some ocean youth lovers in WTN’s home state, who are from Santa Barbara California. Let’s hear it in their words after their Float.

June 7th, 2021 Isabel Johanson ©

June 8th, World Ocean Day, is an opportunity to remind ourselves of the critical role our oceans play in the grand scheme of global health. The sea occupies over 70% of our planet and equips every organism with the tools they need for survival. World Ocean Day is a symbol of civilization’s responsibility to unite and protect not only the ocean, but ourselves. We are only as healthy as our world’s seas. We must remind ourselves of the principles this global holiday represents year-long, to gain the momentum we need to accomplish our goals. Humanity has the responsibility to rise to the occasion in order to develop and implement equitable and sustainable solutions in a timely manner.

I was raised in Santa Barbara, CA and Kauai, HI. My proximity to the ocean ingrained in me the need to appreciate and give back to our Mother Earth. I have witnessed the precariousness of nature. Through fire, flood, ground trembling beneath my feet, and nature in all her furry crying out for help, I realized the true urgency of the climate crisis. My childhood heart-centered empathy toward nature turned into planetary activism.

World Team Now’s commitment to global and personal transformation and unity encourages everyone to take meaningful action. Since Environmental Studies is such a multifaceted topic, it is essential to apply the concepts to as many dimensions of life as possible. In the words of Suzanne Maxx, Founder and President/Chair of Word Team Now, “We play to transform our world.” Even simple steps, like floating at sea, fuels a connectivity between one’s self and nature, prompting a long-term commitment to change. The accumulation of small actions practiced by an array of citizens has the power to heal our world.

In the spirit of World Ocean Day, a group of loved ones, Atticus Shorr, Ally Drevo, Nicolas Johanson, Charlie Vasquez, Niko Klopp, and myself, Isabel Johanson, decided to head to Hope Ranch Beach and soak in the Pacific Ocean’s primal energy. As we lay floating on our backs, with our hands intertwined, a sense of harmony became present. Each of us felt connected by our dedication to the water. It was as if we entered a meditative state of heightened consciousness. In reflection, I was able to correlate this to World Team Now’s goal of creating a consciousness that allows the World’s inhabitants to work towards a greater good. A feeling of refuge and safety overcame the six of us while at sea. It is only fair that we reciprocate these emotions and celebrate the ocean’s divinity. In honor of June 8th, I have asked each participant to write a short analysis of what the ocean and our floating experience meant to them.

Hope Ranch Beach, CA June 2021
Photo by Ally Drevo

“It’s nearly impossible to understand how much the ocean has impacted our world. I find the vastness of the ocean to be spiritual and bewildering. It can be harsh and miraculous at the same time, similar to humans. Knowing this makes me believe we are capable of behavioral change in order to remedy our missteps. Yesterday my friends and I floated in the ocean for hours. Not only was it a healing experience to float with the tides, it was heightening and completely lifted my spirits.” Atticus Shorr, 24

“Dedication to the ocean is a beautiful and universal effort which I’m elated to be a part of. Throughout the years, I’ve worked with Heal the Ocean and lobbied our city council for plastic ban efforts in the hope of restoring and preserving a beautiful and complex home of sea life and resources. Yesterday’s project with World Team Now was one moment out of many where we got to celebrate the ocean in our idyllic seaside hometown. I have endless gratitude and respect for marine life preservation and hope to experience more collaborative visions.” Ally Drevo, 22

“All life begins in the sea, so as a human being I feel intrinsically connected to the ocean. After years of aquatic sports, surf instruction, and being an avid beach-goer, the beauty of the sea and sand will forever hold a special place in my heart. However it’s truly heartbreaking to see the growing amount of waste, plastic, and unnatural debris covering our world’s beaches and diluting our oceans. It seems to me that we have become predators to one of our most precious ecosystems. That being said, it brings me hope and pride to be part of the movement to remedy the issues we have brought upon ourselves.” Nicolas Johanson, 20

“My first connection to the ocean was when I moved from Indiana to Santa Barbara. Coming from a land-locked state it was a powerful change. Whenever I feel stressed, the beach is the first place I think of to calm my nerves. It’s ironic to think the place I go to relieve anxiety is in high stress from the harmful and selfish actions of humankind. I will always do my part and attempt to inspire others to keep our local beaches clean and to help out with the ever-growing environmental problems we are facing.” Charlie Vasquez, 21

“Ever since I was young, I have loved the ocean. Not only does it provide endless opportunities for adventure, fun, and relaxation, it is also a livelihood for so many. My brother is a fisherman and that has taught me to not take more than the ocean can replenish. I have also learned of society’s inescapable dependence on the ocean’s fragile ecosystem. I recognize World Ocean Day as a Day to be thankful for everything the ocean has to offer and reflect on how we can help preserve and heal our ocean.” Niko Klopp, 17

Breathing into a new Paradigm by Suzanne Maxx

Every Breath We Take

September 19, 2020 / / 1 Comment

 

Sunrise with the “Blue and Green” Photo by Suzanne Maxx

By Suzanne Maxx ©

Wishing you and your loved ones to be able to breathe in the abundant love that is here for us right now!   Then exhale all fears doubts, and surrender our mind’s idea of life in the past or time. Every breath we take in, can we give back out to the world loving compassion, in a spirit of contribution?

During this pandemic period, we have realized the key is to go within and notice the “pause” between each breath metaphorically— where we each are in our lives here now.

World Team Now continues to find our truth in nature.  The photo also represents our campaigns beginning with: the blue (ocean and sky), and the green (of nature), and the biodiversity in between. Nature and the highest part of our own human nature need to breathe. How do we take greater consideration in our “global economies” for our future?    Learning to better listen to, not only, our own voices within, but also the rising “collective consciousness” is a task for us all.  To live in consideration of the bigger picture that we are interconnected, and each of our choices matter, as everything changes.

World Team Now has focused on demonstrating solutions, but we have been a small handful of people that planted the seeds around the world: a possible “vision” for the future that might have more in balance with nature.  Our public electric vehicle chargers in California, and solar net meters in New York, were a small start. But the vision has been for a literal “World Team,” and the winning of the human race is to truly realize the potential of our species as human “beings”.

Organizing and acting for things we experience as “wrong” prescribes a judgment, that something is “right” when it is meant to merely raise awareness or move us to choose our truth for action or stillness.  The patterns in movement, of humanity, are changing along with the climate. We propose to rise even above what we “own” whether that be a possession, our own creed, which has carried us through this life journey.  We are being asked to remember or envision what indeed is the inspiration for a deep breath.

World Team Now’s stand is to demonstrate solutions that are nature-based, and we are quite enthusiastic about what has grown during this public health pandemic in relation to what we have organic encounters with now; the Ocean (an educational curriculum emerged) and more campaigns on the blue, the green and the biodiversity in between with dolphins; turtles, mangroves, and islands. Emerging is even a greater perspective of the journey’s story about what happened with people around the world when we tried to actually “tell-a-vision” — for a World Team.

We are enthusiastic about our SOS-IS partnership, even though it is at the beginning of coming together.  Our goals are beyond the construct of time, but ideally in the now we can act for future generations.

This week has many events to consider organized around the UN General Assembly.  A kickoff event on Sunday, September 20th is the New York People Climate Movement’s March for Climate Justice Through Racial Justice. World Team Now fundamentality agrees with the group’s statement and letter, call for justice, but has concerns related to naming-names and prescribing actions related to specific people in political power, and the time frame of these actions with consideration of the collective state of most people.

Statue of Liberty & Lighthouse Ponce Inlet Fl Photos by Suzanne Maxx

To shine the light of awareness now, we can only prescribe to be conscious of our choice, and be grateful. We cannot endorse, prescribe action, what to do, or how this moment will “benefit the public” yet.  We can share some awareness of what had motivated us in the past, now, and for the future we want.  This information is meant to just be shared, again we do not endorse the prescribed approaches or judgments to force law enforcement. Here is what we understand to being organized for the public in New York City locally and virtually:

World Team Now, a public beneficiary nonprofit, had to try to decide what is best for the public at large. Given where we are now geopolitically, this seems to be an impossible choice. That just reminds us that we are all in process of realizing what “I’m possible” means.

We encourage conscious choice.  We have been challenged to know what could truly be of public benefit to you all now, and confess we don’t know.  In the past, it has worked to act on a local level, and now it will take each of us within ourselves to just shine that special something only you can give.

Globally it does start with where we are now.  These above are not legal actions please note that if you choose to go.  The march falls on High Holy Days for many people, but it is your choice.

It’s the United Nations 75th Anniversary, and we do support the concept of having Global Goals aka Sustainable Development Goals!  But the “by when” and “how we will realize the SDGs” is up to us all.   We support the idea of the government’s private sector, corporations, civil society, and each of us coming together for something new.

The question of belief, ideology, and what is justice, comes back to “Just” Us,” each of us.

While our goal is to unite: the divisions can only be bridged through each person’s own truth. While there is a “March” tomorrow we had agreed to support in theory, but it is your choice to engage or not. We can just share the information of what is happening and do not endorse the prescribed approach to go up against the law, or law enforcement.  The consideration as New Yorkers to choose to engage or not, given the public safety, and lack of legal permitting, and prescribed measures, has to be one’s own. Your choice is your gift; the “present” of this moment’s possibility.

Where the theory or the ideology lives into the future world we want, how it meets the present with action with respect of the law is the challenge now—  both the crises and the opportunity.  In the effort to share the information we realize that freedom, equality, and conscious breath matters.  May we each trust in the love that breathes through us, and realize we are in the midst of a painful birthing of a new paradigm and way to be with one another and in the world.

Breathing into a New Paradigm
by Suzanne Maxx

 

World Team Follows as Fiji Leads in the Pacific Island Region Part 3 JMC

October 4, 2017 / / 0 Comments

By Suzanne Maxx ©World Team Now

 

Continued; Part 3

Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort

So too, our love for the ocean is individual and our work with the dolphins and floating in the ocean is a personal expression, eyes around the world have been opened to the world within the ocean, due to the gifts that Jacque Yves Cousteau passed forward. There are sweet memories of how Jacque Cousteau inspired us with his words and actions at the U.N. ‘s Earth Summit and Global Forum in Rio in 1992, three years into the journey of the World Team.

The grand reopening of the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort (JMC), in Savusavu on the island of Vanua Levu, continues the legacy of ocean exploration that lives on for the whole Cousteau family, with educational programs and experiential activities related to everything that has to do with the ocean. Like sea glass that is tossed in the ocean’s current to become more luminescent and smooth over time, the resort’s transformation mirrors the fabulous recovery after the Category 5 cyclone, TC Winston. The JMC bears the Cousteau name, now an iconic brand for ocean exploration and education, thanks to Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the Marine Biologist, Diver and Explorer, being a true pioneer for the oceans and all species that make the ocean their home.

The ocean philosophy of the Cousteaus,  comes alive here at the resort, passing the love of the ocean forward to future generations. The Jacques Yves Cousteau  said, “People protect what they love.” This resort and its programs help continue the legacy of giving back experientially, as Jacques Cousteau’s philosophy is more than mere words; “When one man, for whatever reason, has the opportunity to lead an extraordinary life, he has no right to keep it to himself.” The experiential educator Jacques Cousteau not only passed down his passion and love of the ocean to Jean-Michel Cousteau (his son) with his non-profit Ocean Futures Society, but his living legacy continues to inspire the next generation of The Cousteau Ocean Legacy. Each Cousteau family member contributes, with a diversity of personalities to express their love of the ocean.

“It takes generosity to discover the whole through others. If you realize you are only a violin, you can open yourself up to the world by playing your role in the concert” –Jacques Cousteau

Down to the next generation, to Aquanaut Fabien Cousteau, JMC’s  his grandson, who now carries exploration to new depths with the newly launched Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center. Fabien continues his stand for the ocean as he champions sharks, and most recently broke his Grandfather’s world record, staying underwater for 31 days. World Team Now applauds the  Cousteaus’ collective vision, for us each to use our lives, with the gifts we each have, to leave a legacy that embraces, each person, species and what can be contributed to the oceans and our common home.  Jean-Michel too has done that and passed it forward. World Team Now aligns with Fabien Cousteau’s approach to ocean education and gave him the “Pioneer for the Planet” award for what he is envisioning now.

Fabien Cousteau

Celine Cousteau, Jean Michel’s daughter, is also doing her part to expand the family legacy with Cause Films and preservation of species on the land and under the water. Her works range from indigenous tribes in the Amazon to exploring possibilities on Easter Island. The legacy of the whole family continues passing forward a wealth of knowledge that has wisdom for us all. The extended Cousteau inspires family’s efforts altogether support our message; that there is a place for everyone.

The Cousteau lineage comes with political will that is a timeless call for the oceans, and humanity’s role in living with what dominates our planet. Cousteau’s stand was successful in influencing two USA Presidents, of different political parties, both to see the value of the ocean and to take action to designate, first, a 1,200-mile chain of Northwest Hawaiian Islands a Marine National Monument, and now, through President Obama, a four-times-expanded protected area of the ocean. Even the adjacent area around the JMC in Fiji has now become a Marine preserve and the Cousteau team is working to create more marine protected areas that will hopefully remain for future generations.  Here is a chance to  Explore the Pacific Island Marine Sanctuaries with Jean-Michel Cousteau (his most recent book),

In Fiji and other areas of the tropical Pacific, many villages have established marine protected areas where, in order to ensure a healthy ecosystem, the local residents don’t allow fishing. Enforcing the ban on fishing depends on community support for protecting the reefs, which are part of the local culture and can provide economic benefits through tourism and spillover of fish to the areas where harvesting is allowed.

At the Jean-Michel Cousteau (JMC) Resort, there is an ocean experience or program for every age.  The JMC rides on the legend of passing the ocean wisdom of stewardship to all in the family, to explore, teach, research, and inspire others with ocean adventures, also in the luxury resort setting. Cousteau’s mastery in passing forward an underwater experience through television, film, and every source of presentation imaginable continues as the heart of the experiential education and woven through the resort experience.

While there, you can go for one of the extraordinary scuba dive adventures. More advanced divers can get their Dive Certification from the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, some of the best scuba pros in the world. Leading ecological tourism, Jean-Michel Cousteau created L’Aventure, a flagship dive operation at the ocean side Fiji resort. A leading eco-advantage at the JMC is the resident marine biologist Johnny Singh, who does more than lead incredible scuba diving and snorkel adventures. In the evenings, he gives an educational slide show with topics that range from “Coral Reefs” to “Shark’s Biodiversity.” There are over a dozen dive sites to choose from, and one of the top ten dive locations in the world is Namena Island Reserve, an uninhabited protected area with a fish and bird sanctuary. On a Namena dive, there are fabulous opportunities to see larger species, including reef, white, and black tooth sharks, tuna, barracuda, and stingrays, plus hard and soft coral, which all add up to make this a world-class dive site.

The JMC leads with their numerous ocean programs, for youth and adults alike; diving adventures that now go beyond bringing back a wealth of information pass on stewardship of the ocean to inspire the next generation of aquanauts.

The region is full of beautiful tropical birds that are making a comeback. In the protected Namena Island Bird Sanctuary, you can spot the threatened Red-Footed Booby. These birds can dive up to almost 100 ft. to catch their ocean prey.

The Cousteau team is working to have more marine protected areas. Recently, the Nukubalavu Marine Reserve was formed for the next 20 years from a local initiative. Johnny Singh shared, “I’ve seen a lot of change in the last ten years, but I still see in October the southern Humpback and Sperm Whales which migrate from Australia—they are breeding and calving—and the Silver Spinner Dolphins can be found breaching year around.”  Johnny explained that since 2002, with the Marine Protected Areas, the community fights to restock the reefs and repopulate fish. The Ministry of Fisheries has helped the comeback and Dr. Richard Murphy from Ocean Futures Foundation has been another knowledgeable source for their program.

Marine Biologist Johnny Singh © Photo By Suzanne Maxx

The lessons learned help JMC build a sustainable destination resort with systems that bio mimic nature, and use nature for balance. They use natural plants for pesticide control, which is a leading approach among Eco Resorts. The wastewater filtration system is designed to create a biodiverse natural pond and wetlands environment for natural self-cleaning. The drinking water comes from the village and uses four stages of advanced filtration, and ultraviolet light for purification. The Medicine Walk continues the legacy of Niumaia Kavika, a famous medicine man who worked there to pass on a wealth of knowledge about the use of local plants for their healing and beneficial properties.

Plants are key and the Mangrove Reforestation program works with the seeding and tagging to restore the ecosystems and prevent further coastal erosion. The Coral and Giant Clam Farms are two initiatives that support eco goals too. The coral fragments are collected, regrown, and replanted on reefs. The Giant Clam Farm protects the growing years of the clam in the ocean by re-planting them in protected areas to husband their aging. Giant clams live beyond 100 years, can weigh over 500 lbs. and are overharvested—being a sought-after delicacy has made them increasingly scarce.

There is a lot to take away from this Eco Resort about life’s systems, with age-appropriate experiential learning, which lives throughout all the fun ocean programs of the Cousteau family. The resort makes interactive marine biology accessible to all people of all ages, with programs for Adults, Bula, Teens, and 6–12-years groups. A Mama is customarily assigned to every child guest under the age of five years, for free, and families are well catered to beyond what they learn. At the JMC, all can be pampered, and learn about the ocean.

Organic Garden at JMC Resort © Photo By Suzanne Maxx

One thing that helps make JMC unique is Navia Navia, a private island that offers guests exclusivity and privacy, and can be rented for various amounts of time in order to spend sacred alone time in paradise with the one you love. The food at Cousteau is something to write home about. Fifteen years and growing, the organic gardens offer fresh local island vegetables, tropical fruit, edible flowers, and herbs growing on the two acres that are surrounded by island flowers and play areas. Both Fijian style farm- and sea-to-table make for pure culinary heaven, with a global influence. The organic garden is a rarity among resorts in the Fiji Islands, which gives JMC a healthy-body ecology lead.  The culinary options are exquisite and scrumptious, with some of the best Asia-fused Pacific fare influenced by the talented Executive Chef, Raymond Lee. Chef Lee supervises the traditional Fijian “Lovo” feast celebrated every week at the resort, with delicacies cooked in the fire pit by hot embers covered with banana leaves. Lee offers a Junior Chef program where youths can harvest the plants for meals and learn about the cradle-to-cradle systems, including composting. The garden and children’s play area is a lovely venue to spend time in and around, with programs to support the growth of all.

Spa Bed © Photo By Suzanne Maxx

The JMC spa massage treatments follow suit, with all-natural and locally harvested coconut oil, gifted therapist hands, native Fijian plant essences, and the Bobo massage.

Eco is incorporated, along with luxury, in all the systems at the Cousteau Resort, in the Oceanside bungalow Bures that are replete with LED lights, solar on-demand hot water, and all the cushy comforts, such as a hammock and huge bath that are needed to thoroughly enjoy island life. Throughout the resort, efficiency is integrated with lighting motion sensors or timers on equipment, and the resort has a comprehensive recycling program.  Read more about the sustainability efforts here.

Wedding © Photo By Suzanne Maxx

The Cousteau Resort is an ideal place to get married. There are many romantic wedding packages to choose from in an extraordinary setting, and it becomes more economical combining the honeymoon and wedding together at the same venue, with many wonderful activities that can add to the beginning of a loving lifelong adventure, including local fishing, touring in a glass bottom boat, snorkeling, stand-up paddle boarding, sailing, volleyball, tennis, kayaking, eco-touring, medicine walking, and Fijian storytelling.

The JMC and the local village Nukubalavu balance the tourism industry that supports the local economy by employing villagers, and by having the charity Savusavu Foundation for the village support one another. In Nukubalavu we found; family.  Most of the village of Nukubalavu is the driving workforce at the Jean-Michael Cousteau Resort. Guests staying at JMC get to visit the village and see the culture and extraordinary dance. One family from the village of Nukubalavu was instrumental in World Team’s entire journey with Fiji (soon we will share more about the extraordinary people that helped make the journey to Fiji next, but a special shout out to Iowane Ritova and Andrea Fono).  I was welcomed to stay in the village and shared a Fijian feast of native delights.  I learned of the village’s needs, for water, sanitation, renewable energy, and saw the opportunity for a future project for World Team Now. I met with the local Ratu in the village and shared Kava. We are thankful to the villagers, especially Iowane Rivota who has become a World Team member and has been active in supporting and sharing  WTN’s efforts in Fiji.  World Team Now gained another partner in the Village of Nukubalavu in our UN Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Sustainable Solutions Oceans Opportunities on Small Island States (SOS-IS).

A hermit crab race is a regular fundraiser event for the Savusavu Foundation striving to give back to the community through various efforts, including raising funds to help build a kindergarten teamwork is needed as all of the villages hard hit by TC Winston can still use support.

The staff at the JMC that keeps the native Fiji Bula genuine comes primarily from the nearby villages of Nukubalavu who live out the Fijian legend of consideration and love of others and bend over backward to make sure every child, adult, and mangrove, is respected and cared for in this Fijian island experience.

A population of 200 village staff work at the JMC. General Manager Bart Simpson explained, “Half of the villagers had lost their homes in the two tidal waves from TC Winston.” A local villager was running for higher ground as fast as he could and confessed, “By God, I think I’m going to die, my house is following me,” because it was being carried by sea 10 meters away from him.

The Cousteau architectural philosophy includes a lineage of interest to build with the ocean, which is the challenge these islands face at this time. To resist the temptation of a rock wall, and move up away from the sea to reclaim land is a challenge. Once the land is underwater there is a question about boundaries. Adjacent Boundaries of National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) is indeed a United Nations conversation about a sustainable future in a process for large ocean states like Fiji.  There is a sustainable energy vision for the 25 Bures on the 17 acres at JMC, and future generations of staff, their kids or grandchildren, continue the legacy. “The Ocean is reclaiming land every year” explained Bart Simpson, the Resort’s Manager, who has noticed a change in the eight years since he arrived. Bart said, “Moving towards ecology affected by climate change and sea level rise, we have been losing land in a short timeline… True to traditional Fijian culture, the JMC strives to be sustainable, and multi-cultural.” The Cousteau family’s commitment to the ocean is to demonstrate innovative solutions, educate, and be stewards for all the species that find a home in the ocean.

Savusavu art © Photo By Suzanne Maxx

The Savusavu local arts and handicraft section of the Farmer’s Market share the locals’ use of natural resources, with unique handmade gifts that are sold by village artists, farmers who sell produce, and performing musicians. J. Hunter Pearls provides a rare opportunity to find that precious rarity of a pearl in its raw natural environment because the Savusavu Bay’s underwater oyster farm offers not just the oyster and the pearl, but also ocean wisdom.  There are many gifts to take away from this region, but the value of a family’s legacy is immeasurable, as are the experiential souvenirs tattooed on the heart when learning to thrive with and in the ocean. This is ingrained in the Cousteau Resort experience and is a timeless present.

It is hard to leave the JMC without feeling like you are leaving home, a place where all belong.

Summary of World Team Follows as Fiji Leads in the Pacific Island Region Posts

World Team Follows as Fiji Leads from the Pacific Islands Part 1 Turtle Island ©

By Suzanne Maxx © The Pacific Island Region seemed to call, and last year I went on an adventure to ...
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World Team Follows as Fiji Leads in the Pacific Island Region Part 2 Wayalailai Ecohaven Resort

By Suzanne Maxx ©World Team Now Fiji Part 2 Travel to the Yasawa Islands to... Wayalailai Ecohaven Resort Leading the ...
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World Team Follows as Fiji Leads in the Pacific Island Region Part 3 JMC

By Suzanne Maxx ©World Team Now Continued; Part 3 Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort So too, our love for the ocean is ...
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World Team Follows as Fiji Leads in the Pacific Island Region Part 4 Global View

By Suzanne Maxx ©World Team Now Continued; Part 4 Koro Sun Resort Koro Sun Resort’s 160-acre sanctuary on the island ...
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#Fiji #PacificIslands, #Jean-MichelCousteauResort, #ECOresorts, #WorldTeam, #SOS-IS #Uniting4Climate @Connect4Climate @COP23, #UN #SDG#14 #Jean-MichelCousteau, #FabienCousteau, 

World Team Now Bestows Inaugural ‘Pioneer for the Planet’ Award To Ocean Conservationist Fabien Cousteau

July 18, 2017 / / 1 Comment

NEWS RELEASE:
July 19, 2017

World Team Now Bestows Inaugural ‘Pioneer for the Planet’ Award
To Ocean Conservationist Fabien Cousteau

NEW YORK and MALIBU, CA – World Team Now, a non-profit organization devoted to the sustainability of human development and of Planet Earth, announced today that it has bestowed its first “Pioneer for the Planet” award to Aquanaut and ocean conservationist Fabien Cousteau, founder of the Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center (New York City, NY).

The award was presented at a recent gathering in New York for a current project “Sustainable Solutions: Ocean Opportunities & Small Island States (SOS-IS),” a United Nations (UN) – afforded multi-stakeholder partnership made possible by the Paris Agreements on Sustainable Development Goals. SOS-IS was first registered at the UN Ocean Conference in June 2017 and comprises Fabien Cousteau’s Ocean Learning Center, The Hydrogen House, Renewables 100 Policy Institute and World Team Now which are all teaming on behalf of small islands and ocean projects – representing direct action from peoples and organizations in the United States.

“Fabien’s work for community engagement and education regarding ocean protection, and its projects such as those protecting and restoring corals, sharks, mangroves and sea turtle populations – as means for protecting humanity and the planet – is tireless,” said World Team Now Founder Suzanne Maxx, who noted Cousteau launched the Fabien Cousteau Ocean Learning Center in 2016, and most recently at World Oceans Day (June 8, 2017) in conjunction with the UN Oceans Conference.

“Oceans and the health of hydrogen ecosystems are essential for the survival of our species on planet Earth – they breathe in carbon and breathe out oxygen — and 193 nations of the United Nations have just agreed to recognize, in the face of climate change, how integral ocean diversity and protection is to human life,” Maxx said. “Fabien’s work underscores not just the spirit and legacy of his grandfather’s and family’s namesake [Jacques-Yves Cousteau] but also embraces immediate action to rally public support for positive change. We can and must take remedial actions to heal our oceans – and we need such actions to achieve sustainability in all its forms – planetary, social and economic. Fabien exemplifies this fortitude, courage, leadership, and bias to act.”

In 2014, Fabien Cousteau set a world record for 31 days underwater, inspired by his grandfather, whose oceanographic work Fabien continues to carry to new frontiers – which also underscores his pioneering efforts, Maxx said.

The World Team Now first “Pioneer for the Planet” Award is launched to recognize visionaries and leaders who prompt action to effect restorative conservation efforts in pursuit of sustainability for a renewable future. These pioneers of new frontiers, new systems — have the experience with exploring new territory, going beyond perceived boundaries; in the ocean, on land, or up into space.  These Aquanauts, astronauts, and explorers may pioneer scientific research, alternative transportation, or even technological innovation. [Editor’s Note: A complete biography of Fabien Cousteau is available here.]

“It is a privilege to be recognized as a Pioneer for the Planet by World Team Now,” Fabien Cousteau said, “and an honor to be a World Team member. We have a significant obligation toward future generations as we are living in challenging times.”

Fabien quoted his grandfather, Jacques-Yves Cousteau: “People protect what they love, they love what they understand.

The award was presented June 9 at Grand Banks, Pier 25, in New York City, where World Team Now provided donors and guests an overview of its initial SOS-IS projects, including its work in Fiji, and its launch in the Pacific Island Region, to build renewable energy micro-grids toward energy independence, clean water and power, biodiversity protection, and demonstration of leading technologies in sustainability for a renewed future – particularly as small island states grapple with rising oceans. Attendees dined on sustainably sourced seafood there, aboard the wooden schooner Sherman Zwicker. The event also was made possible with the support of Earthx – an annual Dallas, TX Earth Day event organized by Trammell S. Crow.

World Team Now 2017 Gala June 9th 2017


About World Team Now

World Team Now is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization World Team is a multi-media project with a platform launching in 2017 supported by people, like you, who realize that they are citizens of the world. We are committed to discovering ways to unite people beyond country, culture, religion, politics, or economic status and awaken the common commitment to living in balance with our natural resources and embrace global environmental and social issues of consequence. We intend to show people what it is like to create a big vision one person at a time, one resource at a time… and to share the journey with the world. www.WorldTeamNow.org

World Team Now Gala photo album link  is https://photos.app.goo.gl/qpJX4rtfC9PKTaj03

 
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