Yes, there is a little piece of heaven that is on its way to becoming the first Superfund Site designated for the toxic effects of plastic pollution.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took preliminary steps in declaring Tern Island, a small island in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, as a Superfund Site. Tern Island is at the edge of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (watch the video below to see more about this “patch”).

With this designation, the EPA will study the effects of plastic pollution on the wildlife population. This little bit of paradise is home to more than 7,000 marine species, one quarter of which are found nowhere else on Earth.

Seals wear unwanted “jewelry”:

Plastic “swims” among the coral:

Of course, I wondered about the source of all the plastic pollution, knowing that it begins upriver, with us.

Here’s the trailer for the movie, Plastic Paradise: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Journalist/filmmaker Angela Sun shows the way our ocean has become the biggest landfill. Take a peek!

One makes a difference, so let’s begin, right now, to give up our addiction to plastic.

After watching this video, I’m making a pledge to redesign my family’s use of plastic over the next 90 days (gulp—including the holidays and both kid’s birthdays). Recently, I read that it takes 90 days to reorient ourselves to new habits. Here’s to the first step in an adventure to keep plastic out of our oceans!

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Editor: Bryonie Wise

Photo Credit: Center for Biological Diversity