Ted Danson dives into ‘Oceana’

By Carolyn Kellogg Los Angeles Times

April 26, 2011
“I’ve always been kind of a shill,” says Ted Danson. “The guy out in front of the tent saying, ‘Thank you so much for watching “Cheers,” come on in and let me introduce you to the marine biologists who have something really important to tell you.'”

The former Sam Malone might seem an unlikely environmental activist, but Ted Danson has quietly been advocating on behalf of our oceans for 25 years. Now he has taken his commitment to a new place: bookshelves.

His recently released first book, “Oceana: Our Endangered Oceans and What We Can Do To Save Them” (co-written with Michael D’Orso, Rodale, $32.50), is a reflection of his experiences and what he’s learned. It begins, as Danson did, with the perils of offshore drilling and moves on to pollution, ocean acidification and overfishing reaching crisis levels at both the top and the bottom of the food chain.

“It’s a huge environmental disaster in the making that doesn’t have to happen,” Danson said by phone from New York. “We can change this. That’s part of what the book talks about.” …more