FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 3, 2017

Philippe Cousteau’s EarthEcho International Adds to its Youth Leadership Council

(Washington, D.C.) EarthEcho International, a leading nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring youth to act now for a sustainable future, today announced the addition of five members to its Youth Leadership Council, including its first international member.  These five young environmental leaders from across the country plus Baghdad, Iraq, ages 15-22, join the existing 15 members of the EarthEcho Youth Leadership Council to expand the impact of the organization’s programs and partnerships worldwide.

“The members of the EarthEcho Youth Leadership Council have given new life to the organization and its programs, through the breadth and depth of their initiatives,” said EarthEcho International Founder Philippe Cousteau, Jr. “Their dedication to our planet, their intelligence and creativity provides me—and all who meet them—with a hope in our future that is drastically needed in today’s landscape.”

Serving two-year terms, the members of the EarthEcho Youth Leadership Council will continue to provide guidance for the organization’s youth-facing programs and resources; represent the organization at events, conferences and trainings; and serve as ambassadors for EarthEcho programs by executing environmental service projects in their local communities. Their first joint initiative, #3T4E (“Three Pieces of Trash for the Earth”), resulted in over 1.6 million impressions on Twitter and Instagram in a single day, and engaged more than 650,000 social media accounts across 24 states and six continents to divert thousands of pieces of litter from waterways. Through their EarthEcho service over the last year, members of the Youth Leadership Council have attended the Our Ocean parallel youth leadership summit, participated in a Fast Company Innovation Summit panel, and co-authored Huffington Post blogs with Philippe Cousteau.

The incoming EarthEcho Youth Leadership Council members are as follows:

Aisha Al-Dulaimi – Baghdad, Iraq

John Bandek – Glendale, CA

Olivia Blondheim – Madison, NJ

Trevor Burke – Dallas, TX

Carolina Rios – New York, NY

Visit earthecho.org/programs/youth-leadership-council to learn more about the EarthEcho Youth Leadership Council.

About EarthEcho International

EarthEcho International’s mission is to inspire young people worldwide to act now for a sustainable future.  We are a nonprofit 501c3 organization founded in 2000 by siblings Philippe and Alexandra Cousteau in honor of their father Philippe Cousteau Sr., son of the legendary explorer Jacques Yves Cousteau.  EarthEcho’s 21st century tools and interactive resources equip youth to identify and solve environmental challenges starting in their own communities. For more information about EarthEcho International, visit www.earthecho.org. Follow us on Facebook and @earthecho on Twitter and Instagram.

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