Picture a sea turtle. Perhaps a baby, crawling to the ocean for the very first time, or a mother who just laid her eggs on the very same beach she was born. These images should invoke the most beautiful emotions of hope and best wishes for these beautiful creatures and it’s likely that the shoreline or sea you’re imaging is pristinely clean, with crystal clear waters and miles of impeccably spotless sand.

But there’s something about this turtle you probably didn’t think about.

She has never used a plastic bag, a single-use fork or a simple straw. But because we use them, and they all too often end up on these beaches, her life could be in danger. These disposable habits of convenience constitute a monumental problem that is slowly but surely filling our ocean with plastic.

In fact, by the time you’re done reading this blog, an entire garbage truck-worth of plastic will have entered the ocean. An entire truckload of our plastic waste.

And this happens every minute of each and every day.

The worst part? Not only is it disgusting and disheartening, it is also a completely preventable problem.

Here at Ocean Conservancy, we continue to serve on the front lines of coastal cleanups. We organize worldwide campaigns to clean our seas. We advocate for policy that protects ocean life and supports safe, unpolluted waters.

Our victories are possible because of supporters like you who donate time and resources to save our precious ocean, and we couldn’t be more grateful. But our work is not yet done.

We all are responsible for the ever-growing tide of pollution in our ocean. It will take all of us working together, day in and day out, to stop it.

Your gift today can help our conservation initiatives lead the way in protecting our ocean and the precious wildlife that grace her waters and coastlines.

You can help prevent sea turtles from ingesting harmful plastics.

You can help ensure fish and marine mammals are able to swim freely without the threat of entanglement.

You can help show the world that it’s only if we all take responsibility for our actions that we can treat the ocean and its creatures with the care and respect they truly deserve.

Give today, and you will play an active role in protecting our ocean and the countless wondrous marine wildlife species that depend on it as their home.

It’s time to clean up how we think about pollution and single-use plastics.

Together, there’s no doubt in my mind that we can change the tide.