Itinerary - Contiki

Supporting
oceans
our
Contiki has proudly partnered with leading environmentalist, adventurer
& explorer, Céline Cousteau (granddaughter of legendary oceanographer,
Jacques Cousteau) to raise awareness of our ocean conservation projects.
MEET CÉLINE COUSTEAU >
We’ve joined forces with Céline to help educate our Contiki
community & team about environmental issues & marine
protection. We speak with Céline in an exclusive interview on
ocean conservation & what we can all do to make a difference.
Contiki: You were just 9 years old
when you took your first expedition
with your grandfather, Jacques
Cousteau, in the Amazon on his
legendary boat ‘The Calypso’. You
have recently celebrated his 100th
birthday anniversary, what do you
think you’ve learned most from him?
Céline: Of course there’s so much I
have learned, but the heart of it all was
an understanding from early on that
my existence was only a small part of a
greater whole. That learning came
from being part of a family of
travellers, filmmakers, explorers &
photographers who would each bring
back their stories from the field. My
grandfather showed me it is more
what you do with your learning’s that
makes a difference. Each of us has the
capacity to do more & we owe it to
ourselves & others to reach for our full
potential when given the opportunity.
Contiki: You spend most of your life
around oceans, what is it that makes
you so passionate about them?
Céline: They’re such a wondrous
universe & are right under our noses.
I’ve had the tremendous opportunity to
explore the underwater world & be a
Watch Céline’s video message to Contiki
travellers at contiki.com/celinecousteau
part of many discussions about its
health, so am very aware of the
importance of protecting it. We
desperately need more people out
there to help communicate & educate
around this. Paramount to all of this,
people depend on a balance in the
natural world & we are all those people.
Contiki: What do you think is the
biggest issue threatening our
oceans today?
Céline: There are many issues & a lot
of them are intertwined, however one
example of a very tangible threat is
overfishing. We are taking out a lot of
species from the ocean in
unsustainable quantities & with
harmful fishing practices.
Consequences are reduced resources,
which in turn impacts the natural food
chain of the ocean that naturally exists
in a healthy balance, so other species
are impacted along this chain.
However, it’s not all doom & gloom, we
don’t have to stop eating everything!
We just need to remember consumer
choices do make a difference. Find out
more at montereybayaquarium.org
(they even have a handy iPhone app)
or visit blueocean.org/seafood.
Contiki: People often think, ‘I’m just
one person, what can I really do?
What advice would you give to them?
Céline: It shouldn’t be overwhelming.
Ghandi once said: “be the change you
want to see in the world” - why look any
further. By incorporating small changes
in all aspects of our lives & empowering
others around us to do the same, that is
action. These small changes in parallel
with our efforts to influence leaders have
the power to implement environmental
protection laws & make a difference.
Contiki: What ‘green tips’ would
you recommend to our readers for
while they are travelling?
Céline: There are so many small things
you can do to make a difference. I
would recommend filling & packing
your own travel sized toiletries so you
don’t need to open a new one each
time you change hotels. Take your own
water bottle (metal is better than
plastic) - every bottle you don’t buy is
one less piece of plastic used. You can
also calculate your carbon footprint
based on your travel miles when you
get back & offset this online.
See the full interview online at
contiki.com/contikicares
Follow Céline on twitter @celinecousteau
and at celinecousteau.com
Our conservation
projects
At Contiki we love oceans, &
are committed to protecting
them for future generations
to enjoy. We actively support
two ocean conservation
projects, The Mesoamerican
Reef Leadership Program
(MAR) & Oceana, who are
both involved in the critical
task of marine protection.
Mesoamerican Reef
Leadership Program
(MAR) is a fresh new initiative
that supports young local
environmentalists working
‘hands on’ to protect the
world’s second largest barrier
reef, the Mesoamerican
Reef system.
Oceana campaigns to
protect & restore the
world’s oceans. Their
project work involves at-sea
expeditions gathering
research which they use
to inform policy makers to
create important laws to
protect our ocean systems.
To find out more visit
contiki.com/contikicares