Hi there — I’m Diana Samuels. I live in the foothills just outside Asheville, North Carolina, where the forest meets small-town charm and every morning I sip my coffee on the porch listening to leaves rustle. Before launching this blog in 2025, I spent over a decade working in the product development department of a mid-sized outdoor gear company. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Design from a university in Oregon, where back then I fell in love with the idea that good design could both delight and do less harm to the planet.
In my gear-design role I worked on many plastic-heavy products—hardshell backpacks, polymer tent poles, synthetic straps—and gradually I grew uneasy with how many single-use plastics snuck into what seemed like “green adventure” gear.
That discomfort planted the seed of what I now do. I eventually moved into a consulting role helping sustainable startups figure out how to replace plastics with better materials, but I yearned for something more directly helpful to everyday people, not just product engineers.
So, in 2025 I launched this blog, bplasticfree.com, as a space where I share honest product reviews, real-life usage insights, and practical buying advice — with a simple aim: to help you spend your money on things that work and align with a less-waste lifestyle.
Why This Blog
If you land here, you probably care about more than flashy features — you care about real value, thoughtful design, and the long-haul story behind what you buy. That’s exactly what I care about too. My years in design and product development taught me to ask questions: What happens after this packaging is opened? How does this perform over time? Will I still be okay with this in five years? Here, I bring those questions to everyday gear, gadgets, home products — whatever crosses our path.
Every review you’ll see isn’t just a spec sheet thrown at you. I use the product myself (in my home, on my trails, in rainy weather, in real-life wear and tear) and I’ll tell you the good, the not-so-good, and what to watch out for. I believe you should feel confident hitting “buy” knowing I’ve walked a mile in what you’re exploring.
My Current Life
Today, I’m based in western North Carolina and spend my free weekends hiking with my dog Maple or tinkering in a small backyard greenhouse. I’ve swapped many of my old habits for simpler rituals: reducing plastic wrap in our house, choosing refill options when I can, and supporting brands that intend to do better (even if they’re not perfect). These are little shifts, but each one adds up.
When I’m not writing, I love diving into podcasts about materials science, chatting with makers who are trying to reduce plastic in surprising places, or testing kitchen gadgets that claim to be “no plastic” (yes — that still surprises me how many sneak in hidden parts). I bring that curiosity right here: if a product is promising less waste, or a cleaner material, I want to know not just if it works, but how it works and what trade-offs might be there.
What You’ll Find Here
Starting in 2025, this blog has been my corner of the internet to share: honest reviews of gear and home-life products, real-world usage notes (yes, the cloudy lens, the bent hinge, the recyclable packaging that came with extra plastic), and practical buying advice you can use right away. I aim to highlight what matters: longevity, materials, repairability, cost-vs-value, and whether a product actually keeps its promise (or hides a plastic heavy secret).
I hope when you leave a review here you’ll feel more empowered, less overwhelmed by design jargon and “greenwashed” claims, and more ready to make a purchase that you’ll be glad you made — not regret a month later.
Author Profile
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Diana Samuels is a product design specialist turned reviewer who spent more than a decade in the outdoor gear industry before launching bplasticfree.com in 2025. With a degree in Industrial Design from Oregon, she learned early on how materials shape not only a product’s quality but also its environmental footprint. Her professional experience developing everyday gear exposed her to the hidden costs of single-use plastics, inspiring her to rethink how products are made, used, and recommended.
Today, Diana lives in the foothills of North Carolina, where she writes honest, experience-based product reviews focused on sustainability, practicality, and long-term value. Through bplasticfree.com, she helps readers navigate eco-friendly buying decisions with transparency and real-world insight. Whether testing refillable home essentials or evaluating durable travel gear, Diana’s mission is simple — to make conscious shopping easier, one honest review at a time.
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