These in-their-own-words pieces are told to Patricia Lane and co-edited with input from the interviewee for the purpose of brevity.

Valerie Muñoz brings the ocean to land. As a member of EarthEcho International’s Youth Leadership Council, this 22-year-old master's degree student at McGill University designs collaborative campaigns to mobilize young ocean advocates worldwide through GenSea.

Tell us about a recent project.

In January 2026, I facilitated two youth summits for GenSea aimed at supporting participants to connect with the ocean. The team I worked with for the 100-person virtual session helped people from all over the world learn about their already existing relationship with the sea. Our guest speaker, Phillipe Cousteau — grandson of the famous Jacques Cousteau and founder of EarthEcho International — helped us see that oceans give us so much. They feed us and store carbon and generate as much of the oxygen we breathe as do the........

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