Best known for his roles in hit television series such as Cheers and The Good Place, Ted Danson has also played a much more important role as a passionate advocate for the protection of the world’s oceans for more than 20 years.

The actor first became involved in marine conservation after moving to Santa Monica in the 1980s and helped found the American Oceans Campaign in 1987, which eventually became the nonprofit organization Oceana in 2001.

Danson will remain a member of Oceana’s board of directors and will host Oceana’s largest annual fundraising gala in California, the SeaChange Summer Party, on August 17 at a private estate in Laguna Beach.

In an interview, Danson said that since his childhood in landlocked Arizona, he has always felt the pull of the ocean and that “if you take care of the oceans, a lot of problems will be solved.”

When he first became involved in conservation in the 1980s, he said the biggest problem facing the oceans was overfishing, which was destroying stocks, habitats and biodiversity.

However, he added that an abundant ocean could provide a billion people with a meal of healthy seafood every day, forever.

And now he said one of the biggest problems is the impact of single-use plastic on marine life.

“Not only is it very dangerous for the oceans because marine animals try to digest it and then either suffocate or can’t eat properly because their stomachs are so bloated, but also plastic breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces. It never goes away,” Danson said.

“That’s why Oceana focuses on single use, because it’s crazy to make a product that lasts forever if you only use it once.

“In addition, plastics production is projected to be three times higher than today by 2050,” Danson added.

“It really is a huge problem that will only get worse if we don’t stop it at the source, because recycling doesn’t work.”

Danson said Amazon’s recent decision to replace 95 percent of the plastic air cushions in its shipping boxes in North America with recycled paper filling was a “huge” step in reducing waste and pollution.

“I am convinced that people see and feel the pollution caused by plastic, and I am convinced that even the big corporations are now thinking: ‘We will have a better reputation and it will have a positive impact on our bottom line if we do the right thing for the environment.'”

“But climate change is the dealbreaker for literally everything. Even Oceana’s work could be undone by climate change if we don’t get it under control.”

Elizbeth Wahler, a fellow Oceana philanthropist, said in an interview that the nonprofit was also involved in the two plastic bag ban amendment bills (SB1053 and AB2236) currently before the California state legislature, which, if passed, would permanently eliminate the thicker, single-use plastic film bags in grocery and convenience stores across the state.

“These bags are really harmful to the health of marine life and their animals, especially sea turtles,” Wahler told me.

“They think it looks like a jellyfish, and that’s their preferred food. Getting rid of those bags is crucial.”

Wahler said Oceana now employs 290 people in nine countries and the European Union, and there have been other notable ocean conservation successes around the world over the past 12 months.

These include Florida’s ban on balloon launching to protect marine life and the European Union’s Nature Conservation Act, which provides new protections for marine habitats.

And she added that since their launch 16 years ago, the SeaChange galas have raised nearly $20 million to support Oceana’s important work in California and around the world.

“I’m really proud of our Oceana community,” she said. “It’s just amazing.”