The issue of global environmental challenges is huge, but for Philippe Cousteau, the son and grandson of internationally known environmentalists, the solution can be simple.

Pay attention, because each decision, each action, has a consequence. And the decision you make will make a difference in the world.

"We want people to understand and appreciate that we're not removed or separate from the environment. We're part of it," he said during a recent speaking and filming tour in Hawai'i.

His grandfather, Jacques Yves Cousteau, who died in 1997, and his father, Philippe Cousteau Sr., who died in 1979 just before Philippe Jr. was born, brought the importance of the protection of the oceans to the masses with their educational filming.

The younger Philippe, 27, does the same. He calls himself an "explorer and conservationist." He and his crew were in the Islands recently to film humpback whales, local sustainability projects and Hawaiian environmental management systems for a TV special.

"We are here telling the specific story of how Hawai'i has gone from whaling to whale watching," he said. He also spoke at a Honolulu reception hosted by The Nature Conservancy.

His passion, he said, is teaching the world about its interconnectedness, and its fragility, along with the hopeful message that each individual has the power to make a difference.

"Issues of the environment are not top-of-mind in a consumer society," and it's hard to get people's attention with all the background noise of the modern world, he said.

To help get the word out, he and his sister, Alexandra, and their mother, Jan, formed the environmental education organization EarthEcho International (earthecho.org).

"We're into encouraging people to take action through stories," Cousteau said. The Web site includes dozens of testimonials by people about how they got the message of sustainability, and what they are doing about it.

EarthEcho is using the Web to get the word out, but that's not all. Both Philippe and his sister go out to speak to groups. They make films. And they are always looking for new ways to spread their message, even with video games with a conservation theme.

"There are so many more platforms to communicate with people," Cousteau said.

Still, the basic message remains a simple one.

"People can take action through what they do. Everything you do makes a difference. All your choices have consequences," he said.

If you have a question or concern about the Hawaiian environment, drop a note to Jan TenBruggencate at P.O. Box 524, Lihu'e, HI 96766 or jant@honoluluadvertiser.com. Or call him at (808) 245-3074.