Explorer, Environmentalist Cousteau to Speak at UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Jean-Michel Cousteau, ocean explorer and environmentalist, will speak at the University at Buffalo at 8 p.m. March 1 in the Mainstage theater in the Center of the Arts on the North (Amherst) Campus, as part of the university's Distinguished Speakers Series.

Cousteau will present the Graduate Student Choice Speaker lecture.

His talk will be a major event in conjunction with "A Greener Shade of Blue," UB's semester-long focus on environmental issues and the university's decades-long commitment to environmental conservation.

Carrying on the work of his father, the late Jacques Cousteau, Jean-Michel is the founder of Ocean Futures, a nonprofit organization dedicated to marine research, conservation and education. Through television, millions have traveled with him to remote locales, exploring the spectacular and mysterious underwater world of our oceans.

A tireless voice for the environment, Cousteau promotes the protection of our "world ocean" and the life within it against pollution, mining, fishing and development. He collaborates with Green Cross International and the Natural Resources Defense Council on such issues as protecting sensitive marine areas, avoiding oil spills and preventing use of damaging sonar systems. He served as spokesman on water issues at the U.N. World Summit on Sustainable Development at the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto.

Cousteau is an Emmy and Cable Ace Award-winning producer with more than 70 films to his credit. His 2006 documentary series for PBS, "Ocean Adventures," inspired President George W. Bush to create the Northwestern Hawaiian Island National Monument, the largest marine sanctuary in the world.

He is a recipient of the Environmental Hero award and the first to receive Oceana's Ocean Hero Award.

Tickets can be purchased at the Center for the Arts box office or by visiting http://www.ticketmaster.com.