He might be best known for starring in hit television shows like Cheers and The Good Place, but for more than 20 years Ted Danson has also been playing a much more vital role as a passionate advocate to protect the oceans of the world.
The actor first become involved in marine conservation after moving to Santa Monica in the 1980s, and helped create the American Oceans Campaign in 1987, which eventually became the non-profit Oceana in 2001.
Danson remains a director on Oceana’s board and will be hosting Oceana’s largest annual California fundraiser gala, the SeaChange Summer Party, at a private estate in Laguna Beach on 17 August.
In an interview, Danson said he has always felt the pull of the sea since growing up in landlocked Arizona and “if you take care of the oceans a lot of things would get solved”.
He said the biggest issue facing the oceans when he first become involved in conservation back in the 1980s was over-fishing, which was destroying stocks, habitats and biodiversity.
But he added an abundant ocean can feed a billion people a healthy seafood meal every day, forever.
And now he said one of the biggest issues is the impact single-use plastic is having on marine life.
“It’s not just the fact it is very dangerous to the oceans, because sea creatures try to digest it and then either suffocate or are unable to eat real foods, because their stomachs are so bloated, it’s also plastic just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. It never goes away,” said Danson.
“This is why Oceana is focusing on single use because it is insane to make a product that lasts forever, when you only use it once.
“And on top of that, it’s projected that plastic production will be three times what it is now by 2050,” added Danson.
“It really is a huge problem that’s just going to get worse unless we stop it at the source, because recycling doesn’t work.”
Danson said a recent decision by Amazon to replace 95% of the plastic air pillows from delivery packaging in North America with recycled paper filler was “huge” in terms of reducing waste and pollution.
“I do believe that people are seeing and feeling plastic pollution and I do believe even corporations are now going ‘we will have a better reputation, and it will be good for our bottom line if we do the right thing for the environment’.
“But climate change is the deal breaker for literally everything. Even the work that Oceana does could be undone by climate change, if we don’t get a handle on it.”
Fellow Oceana director and philanthropist Elizbeth Wahler said in an interview, the non-profit has also been involved with the two plastic bag ban amendment bills (SB1053 and AB2236) currently going through the California state legislature, which if passed would finally eliminate the thicker single-use plastic film bags at grocery and convenience stores across the state.
“These bags are just really detrimental to marine health and animals, especially sea turtles,” Wahler told me.
“They think it looks like a jelly fish, which is their preferred food. It’s critical to get rid of these bags.”
Wahler said Oceana now has 290 staff working in nine countries and the European Union and there have also been other notable wins for ocean conservation over the last 12 months around the world.
These include the ban in Florida on balloon releases to protect marine life and the European Union’s nature restoration law, which new protections for marine habitats.
And she added the SeaChange galas have raised nearly $20 million since they started 16 years ago to support Oceana’s vital work in California and around the world.
“I’m really proud of our Oceana community,” she said. “It’s just really fantastic.”
