Shailene Woodley speaks out on Dakota Access Pipeline protest arrest

Shailene Woodley has released a statement following her arrest last week during a protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The actress, who has pleaded not guilty to charges of misdemeanor criminal trespass and misdemeanor engaging in a riot, shared her remarks in a post on TIME.com,

“It took me, a white non-native woman being arrested on Oct 10th in North Dakota, on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, to bring this cause to many people’s attention. And to the forefront of news publications around the world,” she wrote, adding, “When the Dakota Access Pipeline breaks (and we know that too many pipelines do), millions of people will have crude-oil-contaminated water. I know it is easy to be apathetic or detached from the reality that fossil fuel contamination could actually affect you and the ones you love… But hear me loud and clear: If you are a human who requires water to survive, then this issue directly involves you. Don’t let the automatic sink faucets in your homes fool you — that water comes from somewhere, and the second its source is contaminated, so is your bathtub, and your sink, and your drinking liquid. We must not take for granted the severity of this truth.”

Woodley ended the statement by thanking her fans for their support and encouraging them to also take action.

“Whatever your cause is. Whatever your passion is. Whatever you care about most… none of your efforts or hard-earned opinions will matter when the planet and the people you’re fighting for have nothing left to show for it,” she said.

Read Woodley’s full statement on TIME.com.