Alexandra Cousteau is among the most well-known water advocates and explorers of our time

• Water and environmental issues
• The world we are leaving our children
• Stories and films from expeditions across North America and throughout the world
• The importance of being a “lifelong explorer”
• Work/life balance
• Inspiration film-making
• Leadership roles

Alexandra Cousteau is an environmentalist, explorer and founder of two not-for-profit organisations which concentrate on the conservation of the world’s water, for the benefit of nature and humankind.

Early Potential
The daughter of Philippe Cousteau, the filmmaker and oceanographer, and the granddaughter of Jacques-Yves Cousteau, the famous explorer, Alexandra Cousteau was born in California. She spent some of her childhood in the United States and some in France but also travelled extensively with her family. At a young age, she was encouraged to explore and engage with the environment by both her father and her grandfather. She studied at Georgetown University in Washington DC, graduating with a B.Sc. in Political Science (International Relations).

Inspired Environmentalist
Having been inspired by her family’s passion for adventure and the natural world, Alexandra soon began to follow in their footsteps. With her brother Philippe, she founded EarthEcho International in 2000. The non-profit organisation aims to educate, encourage and enable young people to preserve the environment. The organisation focuses primarily on protecting water supplies and the oceans. 

Blue Legacy
 In 2008, Alexandra founded a non-profit organisation called Blue Legacy. The aim of this project is to educate and engage people of all ages and backgrounds around the globe about water related issues. Blue Legacy hopes to create further awareness of environmental concerns such as pollution, climate change and the loss of habitats and rational ways of living. Water is a factor in all of these matters and is vital to life on Earth and Blue Legacy aims to ensure that everyone is aware of how individuals, communities and governments can make a difference. In order to convey the message as clearly as possible, Alexandra and her team have tried to create an approachable and modern Blue Legacy; unlike many other organisations, social media and emerging technologies are used as well as traditional methods of communication. In order to effectively show those who may not have seen first-hand the plight of oceans and environments, films and talks based around real explorations are used. Blue Legacy has so far produced more than 80 unique educational films and has a media library of images and footage which are free to charities, educational institutes and certain publishers.

Discovery Channel
Alexandra began working for the Discovery Channel in 2009. With brother Philippe, she hosted the channels ‘Blue August’, which focuses on water, oceans and shores. She also works as Chief Correspondent on Water Issues for Discovery’s ‘Planet Green’.

Exploring Water Issues
In 2009, Blue Legacy was responsible for a global exploration of water-related issues. The exploration saw five continents and took a hundred days. Footage of the explorations was made available online and unique film and photographs obtained.

Alexandra led a ‘Blue Planet Expedition: North America’ team around the USA, Mexico and Canada in June 2010. The exploration lasted 138 days and investigated and documented water supply and use problems around North America and the solutions used or suggested. The landmark expedition was National Geographic’s first to be covered by live social media.  Blue Legacy is using findings, footage and contacts from the expedition for much of their current work.

Personal Life
Alexandra is married to Fritz Neumeyer and the couple are proud parents to daughter Clémentine Frédérique Neumeyer Cousteau. As a mother she is keen to help her daughter grow up happy and healthy and was keen to avoid toxins whilst pregnant, removing them from her diet and  home environment as much as was possible. An inspirational mum, Alexandra hopes to be able to help Clémentine to explore our beautiful blue planet from a young age, just as she did.