Welcome to Thriving
Sustainably
Founded by sustainability writer and advocate Melissa Walker, Thriving Sustainably is a trusted resource for well-researched, practical ways to reduce plastic and live more consciously.
Created to cut through greenwashing and marketing noise, it focuses on real environmental impact—not perfection. Whether you’re learning about microplastics, swapping out plastic in your routine, or finding ways to reduce waste at home, this site helps you make informed choices that protect both your health and the planet.
Because lasting change doesn’t start with perfection—it begins with small, thoughtful steps we take every day.
New here?
Start here: two practical guides for reducing single-use plastic and microplastics in the choices you make every day.
Our Why Is Simple
You could be ingesting up to 5 grams of plastic weekly – roughly the weight of a credit card.
Microplastics are showing up in our food, water, and even the air we breathe. Thriving Sustainably exists to help you reduce exposure and plastic use through well-researched, practical guidance that makes sustainable living simpler and more achievable.
Hi, I’m Melissa-founder of Thriving Sustainably
And someone who never expected a beach vacation to change the course of her life.
My journey toward sustainable living began while serving on the sustainability leadership team at the company I work for, where I saw firsthand how corporate decisions shape environmental outcomes. A turning point came after I attended a talk by the Plastic Soup Foundation and learned how widespread plastic pollution truly is.
That message stayed with me, especially during a visit to Cannon Beach, Oregon, where colorful plastic fragments were scattered across the shoreline. Seeing that much pollution in such a beautiful place was impossible to ignore. I left feeling both overwhelmed and motivated to take action.
Since then, helping people reduce their plastic use has become my clear focus. Thankfully, more brands are creating thoughtful, lower-waste products that use less plastic or avoid it entirely. I started Thriving Sustainably to highlight these alternatives, share what I’ve learned, and help others make practical changes that reduce plastic where it matters most.
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What You’ll Find Here
Thriving Sustainably offers in-depth guides, product reviews, and practical tips to help you reduce plastic use and make more environmentally responsible choices. From understanding how microplastics show up in your home and environment to comparing products made with safer, lower-waste materials, this site helps clear up topics that are often confusing—or intentionally greenwashed.
Researching materials, reading studies, and comparing sustainability claims can be time-consuming. That’s where Thriving Sustainably comes in. We do the digging for you, looking at what products are made of, how they’re packaged, and whether their green promises really hold up, so you can make confident choices that actually reduce plastic.
