My Habits That the Zero Waste Community Would Frown Upon

    So as you can see from the title, today, I am talking about some habits that are hard for me to change to be zero waste. By listing these 5 things, I hope to show you all that nobody is perfect, everyone has areas they struggle with, and that is OK.

1. Traveling and using airplanes

    If you've been keeping up with Greta Thunberg, you'd know that last year when she visited the US, she didn't fly there. She took a boat. Not all of us have the time or the money to do that, unfortunately.
    The reason, why it is almost impossible for me to not fly, is my job. I play professional basketball, which means I fly a lot, and most of it is out of my control.
    At the end of the summer, I fly to the team. Then in November, I fly home to represent the national team and fly back in a week. During that week, we have another trip for an away game. Next, I get to go home for the holidays, another 2 flights. National team break in February adds at least 4 more flights. And then finally going back home after the season.
    Now all of those flights are not counting trips my team could possibly take, my summer competitions, and an occasional vacation.
    Since I do fly a ton, I try to buy carbon offsets, to at least try and help Mama Earth out a bit.
    Now, you might suggest I took buses, trains, etc. instead, but most of these trips are out of my control. The only way for me to be able to be 100% in control would be to quit basketball, which I am not doing just yet.

2. Toilet paper

    What a great time to be testing out alternatives, taking into account that we are in the middle of a TP crisis.
    All jokes aside, I am not sure if I will ever be ready to give up this "comfort."
    There are many great alternatives out there like bidet attachments by TUSHY, pee cloths made by Kula Cloth or something you DIY-d.
    I am not there yet, and I'm not sure I will ever get there. So, what I am looking to do is to switch out my regular old toilet paper. Instead, I will probably use the bamboo or the recycled ones being sold on these two websites - Who Gives a Crap or No.2.

3. Waste management

    This is so different everywhere you go. Managing one's waste can be super easy, but some areas make it very difficult, and that can be discouraging.
    Why I put this on the list, is because living with other people or moving to an entirely new country or city is literally what my life is all about. Both of those situations add stress and difficulty to all my zero waste endeavors.
    Right now, living at home, it is hard to change my own habits that I have done here all my life, and also try to convince others to do the same.
    When it comes to moving to a new place, there is always a learning curve, and if I happen to live in a country where English isn't widely known, it is tough to make sense of it all.
    This past season I lived in Krakow, Poland, where most people actually speak good English. Still, I didn't figure out that my building had a composting bin until 6 months after I got there.
    So this has been and will be a challenge for me.

4. Skincare routine

    2 or 3 years ago, when I was still in college, I had just learned about the zero waste movement and was making plans about how I can adapt my life to it.
    One of the first things I did was making face toner out of apple cider vinegar and started using a bar of soap (specifically face cleansing one) to clean my face. Which worked good enough, I guess.
    The problem was and still is my adult acne. They tricked me, I was here thinking, "yay, not a teenager anymore, my face will clear up." Oh, how wrong I was. It only got worse.
    So today I am back to using stuff in plastic containers, and actual acne medicine also. This is really working for my skin, and it is clearing up, so at the moment, I have no intention of changing the routine, yet.
    In the long term, I definitely hope I can move away from these products and opt for better alternatives that are more eco-friendly.

5. Haircare

    I know, I know, literally in my last post I was talking about how good the shampoo bars are. Well, that hasn't changed. I still love them! The shampoo isn't the issue.
    About a month ago, I let my hair air dry after washing them, and without brushing them after the shower. Turns out, my hair is wavy/curly.
    So I was curious if I could get my curls to be defined and for them to stay in longer. I went and got some products. And voila - the waves looked awesome.
    Since I just found out about it and bought the products, I have no idea if there are low waste options for curly hair.
    That is something I need to look into, but until then, I love my hair products that finally made me appreciate my hair.

    These were the 5 habits that I am struggling to change. I hope this makes you feel a bit better about your journey and progress. Let me know, what you are struggling with and also give me advice on how to change some of my habits.

Stay inside, wash your hands, but don't forget to enjoy your day!!