Why I Started Living Life Less Plastic: My Journey to Reducing Plastic

Hi friends,

I’m Melanie but most friends call me Mel, so please do the same. I’m so glad you’re here!

The story behind Living Life Less Plastic began in the fall of 2017, when I was pregnant with my son Miles (who’s now eight). One night, my husband and I watched the documentary What the Health and like many others, I walked away completely changed. Overnight, I became vegan.

Me in 2018, in my home office super pregnant with Miles :)

But here’s the thing, I had been building my business since 2008 designing and selling leather handbags and accessories. Suddenly, I felt like a fraud. How could I reconcile this “new” version of myself with the work I had dedicated nearly a decade to?

That tension is what pushed me onto a new path.

I began researching leather alternatives that aligned with my values but still had the aesthetic and luxury feel I believed in. Back then, the options were slim and honestly, most weren’t beautiful or durable enough. That search led me to the team I’m working with today to develop a truly sustainable, bio-based material. One that’s neither animal-based nor plastic. More on that later!

Through that partnership, my eyes were opened to just how damaging plastic really is. I already knew most “vegan leathers” were made from plastic, but I hadn’t fully grasped the health and environmental consequences until I started digging deeper. And as a mom of two young kids, learning about the ways plastic can affect not just the planet but our health made it feel all the more urgent and personal.

Along the way, my own lifestyle has continued to shift and evolve. I’m no longer fully vegan and today, I eat mostly plant-based with some seafood. I’m also slowly learning more about how certain animal proteins can be sourced and consumed in ways that are more ethical and sustainable. My kids and I don’t currently eat meat, but I stay open and curious as I learn more. For me, this has always been about doing what feels right in the moment, and allowing room to change as I gain new knowledge and perspective.

Fast forward to today: I’ve realized that cutting plastic out of our lives entirely is nearly impossible. But making one swap at a time? That’s doable. One habit, one product, one shift. Those small steps add up for our health, our families, our communities, and our planet.

That’s why I created Living Life Less Plastic.

This space is for anyone who wants to live with less tox everything, without the shame, guilt, or overwhelm. I’ll share the swaps, the science, and the stories that have shaped my journey, along with reflections on sustainability, ethical fashion, mindful business, conscious parenting, wellness, and all the messy, beautiful parts of designing a more authentic life.

Because while Living Life Less Plastic began in the literal sense of reducing plastic in our homes, it also carries a deeper meaning. Plastic isn’t just in our packaging. It’s in the artificial layers we sometimes live under: the pressures, the glossy but empty version of success, the expectations that keep us disconnected from our true selves.

So here, we’ll talk about both. The practical and the soulful. The swaps and the shifts. The ways we can live not just with less plastic, but with more meaning, more connection, and more of what’s real.

Thank you for being here at the very start of this journey. I’m so excited to share it with you.

With gratitude,
Mel