Posted by TCRF
FABIEN COUSTEAU TO VISIT PROVIDENCIALES TO SUPPORT THE TURKS
& CAICOS REEF FUND ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS EFFORTS
– The Turks & Caicos Reef Fund (TCRF) announced today the organization
will be hosting a visit by Fabien Cousteau, a world-renowned conservationist
and environmentalist and the grandson of Jacque Cousteau, from February 28
through March 6, 2014. Mr. Cousteau has dedicated his life to the furthering the
understanding and preservation of the global marine environment and educating
the public as to the vital importance of our oceans to the overall health of the planet.
Recognizing the critical state of coral reefs around the world, as well as the
fragility of the TCI barrier reef, Mr. Cousteau is partnering with TCRF to share his
vision, expertise and commitment with the TCI community. His visit will be
packed with educational events for all members of the TCI public and we urge
everyone to take advantage of one or more of the incredible opportunities to
interact with him during his visit.
The activities include:
Saturday March 1 6:30 – 8:30 pm Regent Palms
3rd Annual TCRF Cocktail Reception
Keynote speech by Fabien Cousteau
Tickets $60 per person in advance from Don Stark (347-8455), David Stone
(346-3111), Unicorn Bookstore ($60 at the door), or online at www.tcreef.org
Includes complimentary champagne, hors d’oeuvres and a 1-year TCRF
membership. Music provided by David Bowen and Shara Bowen.
Sunday, March 2. 4-6 pm Atabeyra Sunset Sail for up to 40 people.
Casual opportunity to converse with Fabien Cousteau while touring our beautiful
islands. Tickets $50 per person in advance from Don Stark or David Stone.
Rum punch and light hors d’oeuvres.
Monday, March 3, Fabien Cousteau Scuba Dive with Local Student Divers
Mr. Cousteau will join a small group of scuba diving students from West Indies
Collegiate on a two tank dive on the beautiful reefs of the TCI. Dive Provo is
providing the vessel and crew.
Tuesday, March 4 and Wednesday March 5 – Educational Outreach to the
TCI Student Community
Fabien Cousteau will be speaking to school children from many of the local
schools about the importance of protecting the marine environment. This event
is organized with the assistance of West Indies Collegiate.
“We are very excited that Mr. Cousteau was willing to join us for this event prior
to his planned record breaking expedition for 31 days to the bottom of the ocean
off the Florida Keys,” said David Stone, Deputy Chairman of the TCRF. “His
marine environment protection efforts are world renowned and his Mission 31 will
only further help us understand the marine environment and man’s interaction
with it. We hope that his presence at our annual event will help raise awareness
of the importance of the marine environment to the health of the TCI and to the
health of the local economy.”
Mr. Cousteau added, “I am very excited to be visiting the Turks & Caicos Islands,
home to the third largest barrier reef system and some of the healthiest reefs in
the Caribbean. I look forward to sharing my views regarding the importance of
coral reefs and a healthy marine environment to island nations such as the TCI,
as well as enjoying a few days exploring the waters around the TCI.”
“The TCI community has been overwhelmingly generous in its support of the visit
by Mr. Cousteau, one of the foremost environmental leaders of our time,” adds
Don Stark, Chairman of the TCRF. “We would like to thank the Grace Bay Club
for providing accommodations, the Regent Palms for providing the venue for the
TCRF 3rd Annual Cocktail Reception, David Douglas of the Atabeyra for the
Sunset Sail, Dive Provo for the Dive Trip, as well as Le Bouchon, the Kriebal
Family, the IGA and the Wine Cellar for their generous donations and support.
Without the support of these local businesses, this series of events would not be
possible.”
About Fabien Cousteau:
Growing up on decks of his famous Grandfather’s ships, Calypso and Alcyone,
Fabien Cousteau was destined to work to protect our planet’s immense and
endangered marine habitats. From his vast experience in the field, coupled with a
degree in environmental economics from Boston University, he has refined a
public policy platform grounded by his strong belief that environmental discipline
can be the basis for innovative solutions that strike a balance between regional
and global environmental problems and the realities of market economies. In
2006, Fabien partnered with his father, Jean-Michel Cousteau, and sister, Celine,
to complete a three-year multi-hour series for PBS called Ocean Adventures.
In 2010, he launched Plant A Fish, an innovative nonprofit organization designed
to empower communities and children to help restore their local water
ecosystems through the healthy “replanting” of key marine species
(www.plantafish.org). Current initiatives include restoration projects in El
Salvador, New York City, South Florida and the Maldives.
An active writer, he is currently working on a children’s book trilogy. Fabien has
been interviewed on major network television including, The Oprah Winfrey Show
and NBC’s Today show. He shares his guidance as a member of multiple Boards
including SeaKeepers Society, Water Innovation Alliance, Millennium Project,
Blue Ocean Film Festival, Plastic Pollution Coalition, One World One Ocean,
Points Of Light, Antarctic Ocean Alliance, and the New York Harbor School.
Additionally, he speaks at a variety of global and domestic environmental and
water conferences as well as mainstream business conferences such as Google
Zeitgeist, DLD, TEDx and Rio2.0, Rio +20 Summit and the UN Foundation.
In 2013, Fabien announced his global Mission 31 endeavor that will break new
ground in ocean exploration and also coincides with the 50th anniversary of a
monumental legacy left by is grandfather Jacques-Yves Cousteau, credited with
creating the first underwater habitats for humans and leading a team of ocean
explorers on the first attempt to live and work underwater aboard Conshelf
Two. Mission 31 will expand the 50-year-old Cousteau legacy by one full day, 30
more feet of saturation and will broadcast every second on multiple channels
exposing the world to the adventure, risk and mystique of what lies beneath
(www.mission-31.com).
About TCRF
Founded in 2010, the Turks & Caicos Reef Fund is an all volunteer-run
organization that provides funding for education, research and conservation
programs to individuals, organizations and agencies that help to preserve and
protect the marine environment of the Turks & Caicos Islands. Our goal is to
have at least 85% of all funds raised through voluntary contributions from divers
and snorkelers visiting the Turks & Caicos Islands directed to the Fund’s
programs.
Anyone wishing to donate or assist the TCRF in any way can contact them
through their website, www.TCReef.org. Scuba divers visiting the islands are
encouraged to make a $10 donation through the purchase of a dive tag that can
be attached to their dive gear to show their support. Snorkelers visiting the
islands can show their support through the $5 purchase of a pink or blue silicone
wristband. A complete list of outlets for TCRF merchandise can be found on the
organization’s website.
