A year ago, we witnessed the first days of what became the biggest accidental oil spill in history. With more than 200 million gallons of oil released into the Gulf thousands of feet below the surface, it was also one of the most difficult disasters to monitor. Long term environmental impact is still unknown, but at the helm of the current discussion on the horrendous damage done is environmentalist and CNN International special correspondent Philippe Cousteau, co-founder and CEO of Earth Echo International and Azure Worldwide.

Last week at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, Cousteau gave a private briefing to a powerhouse group of passionate locals, including several UCLA students, environmentalists, entertainment and business community leaders. Following a cocktail reception Dr. Glen MacDonald, a professor in UCLA’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, moderated the hour-long question-and-answer session in which Cousteau addressed three main topics: his recent trip to the Arctic, the disaster in Japan and environmental impact of radiation dumping in the ocean, and the anniversary of the Gulf oil spill. The theme that bound all three was quite simply that without water, we have a planet in peril.

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The evening at the Four Seasons was hosted by The Artists and Athletes Alliance, a non-profit organization that operates at the nexus between the entertainment community and Washington, D.C. They are known for providing educational information to artists and athletes through events like this one that address specific public policies and issues of interest to them. Celebrity attendees included Omar Benson Miller (“CSI Miami”), Jorja Fox (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation”), and Josh Holloway (“Lost”).