HEADLINE #WATERHEROES 43 WATER HEROES Q. Has there been a moment or a special experience during your filming that stands out above all others? Philippe: A big part of what we do is connecting the dots. We help people understand that human beings are intimately connected to the environment. My father and grandfather always said, "You can't build environmental sustainability without human sustainability." There are so many different things that come to mind, but one that really impacted me was in Haiti. I was doing a special for CNN and for 10 days we examined local communities and how they were transforming themselves with hopeful and engaging work around solving the problems that they faced there, which are myriad and daunting, to say the least. One community, in particular, was in a place called Cité Soleil, which in French, means the City of Sun. It's the largest slum in the western hemisphere, located in Port-au-Prince. There are a few hundred thousand people living there in a shantytown of shacks and tents, dealing with extreme poverty, pollution, crime, gangs, etc. And in the middle of this, in the middle of this place, there's a program called The Jaden Tap Tap, which is a beautiful community garden. The gentleman who started this program, created an oasis – a Garden of Eden – in the middle of this port. His purpose is to help kids and community members grow fresh vegetables, so they can get proper nutrition with healthy food. He also built a place where kids could come and play soccer (football) in a safe place, away from gangs. It was truly a paradise in the middle of one of the worst slums in the world. That moment reminded me that connecting people to nature, particularly young people, can transform lives. It was an impactful experience to see people striving amidst truly daunting circumstances. Q. What is your advice for young people thinking about following in your footsteps as a conservationist? Philippe: No matter what you're interested in, ask questions, and always be interested and engaged in the world around you. Remain open-minded and inclusive because that allows you to learn, grow, and to change your opinion. I think that's one of the big problems we face today. People are so rigid in their ideology and thinking that they're unwilling to engage with others that don't necessarily share their views. My other practical advice is to study communications. I always tell young people that – whether you want to become a doctor, scientist, an explorer, or a lumberjack – through the course of your education you should understand how to better communicate with people. Take a public speaking class. Take a class in communications because those are the types of tools that will last a lifetime, and they're practical skills that a lot of young people today aren't getting. I was just speaking with some kids studying marine biology, and while it's great to have all that information and all that knowledge, if you can't talk to people about your work, it doesn't do the world much good. You have to be able to communicate to people, and you have to be able to get others excited about your work, or else you’ll just be piling away a research paper up on the shelf somewhere in the library, which should not be the goal. Firing people up about these issues should always be the goal. Learn More: earthecho.org Xploration Awesome Planet, Season 4 Each week Philippe hosts a 30-minute riveting earth science documentary series that explores the most spectacular places – on the earth, inside the earth, and above the earth. > Saturday Mornings, FOX (Seasons 1-3 Available on Hulu) Caribbean Pirate Treasure Later this summer, join Philippe and Ashlan as they dive into maritime mysteries, explore pirate history and investigate the lore of lost treasures in the Caribbean. > Season 1 Premiers August 20th at 10:00pm, Travel Channel Check out Philippe’s upcoming TV shows on FOX, Hulu, and the Travel Network.