Shailene Woodley is on a mission to help save the planet's seas

In an interview with Shape magazine, she said: “I was raised by two psychologists, so empathy was a big deal in our household. Everything was about trying to understand everyone else’s experience. Not necessarily agreeing with it, but having empathy for whatever they were going through. From there, I looked at nature and the natural world the same way.

The 'Endings Beginnings' star continued: “I don’t want to save the ocean because my mind says it’s the right thing to do. I want to save the ocean because I can feel that she’s suffering. I can feel that turtle drowning from the plastic in its belly.

“I can feel the temperatures rising on the algae that is killing other species. For me, everything is based in feeling and emotion. I’m a progressive, and I want to change the world – I feel a responsibility to try to do everything I possibly can to make things feel a little better.”

It comes as the movie star joined forces with Karun, who make sunglasses using recycled fishing nets and metals, in the hope of seeing actual change to way humans treat the seas.

She explained: “Those microplastics - there’s no way we will ever clean them up. No matter how many eyeglasses we make. No matter how many other material goods we create using them. What we can change is consuming that plastic in the first place. I’m always much more focused on the human side of the environmentalist mission, because until we address that, nothing will happen.”