Waste and Basketball a.k.a. How Two of the Biggest Parts of My Life Clash

    As many of you might know, I am a professional basketball player. Basketball has been a part of my life basically since the day I was born because my mom was a pro player as well. I am 23 and have played basketball for 17 years.
    On the other hand, we have the environment and nature. Nature I have always loved and enjoyed, but I didn't find out about the climate crisis until I was a junior in high school, which was about 6 years ago.
    After that, it took me another 3 years to realize how wasteful my lifestyle was because of my beloved basketball.
    I thought it would be interesting to look into it more. So here are the reasons why being a basketball player can be bad for the environment.
    Since I have experienced the US college basketball player life as well as the pro player life in Europe, I will compare the two.

1. Traveling

    USA:

        In the States, we used to fly everywhere that was more than a 5-hour bus trip away. This can be drastically different in different schools. Some may never fly, but others fly to literally everywhere.
        For me, the flying didn't stop there! Since I am not from the States, I had to take at least 3 flights, one of them being a transatlantic flight, to go home and come back every summer.
        Knowing what I know now about flying, the impact on the environment, and taking into account how many games we played, I can say that my carbon footprint must be enormous.

    Europe:

        Now I can only talk about my experience in the team I was playing in, so this can also vary dramatically between different players.
        Where I played, we only ever took bus trips to all of our games. If the team played any other leagues, they would fly to the games and have games more often. For my team, though, we mostly played once a week.
        So right away, we can see the difference between America and Europe - fewer games + bus trips in Europe = smaller carbon footprint.
        However, in Europe, I got to go home 3 times, which means 4 flights each time. Again, it doesn't look good for my carbon footprint!

2. Takeout food and drinks

    USA:

        So, in general, the takeout culture is much more prominent in the States than it is in Europe. I think the life in Europe is slower, which is why people prefer sitting down at the restaurant and enjoy the experience, rather than just eating the food.
        Leaving that aside, when we played away, our team created so much waste by eating tons of takeout food, and there was a snack room providing us with all the goods, including bottled water and Gatorade.
        I am guilty of sometimes, when I had water in my reusable water bottle, still grabbing a bottled one, because it was more convenient. And on the bus, we don't recycle. Guess why... Because it's not convenient. Very often, that is said to be the main reason for not doing something.

    Europe:

        Comparing these habits between the two places I've played, you'll see that they are entirely different.
        Where I played last season after our games, we never got takeout. We always went to a restaurant or back to our hotel to eat, and then got on the road.
        Furthermore, a thing like a snack room, or provided snacks, is not a thing. And I am not saying this is better, but it does mean that I have to or get to bring my own snacks for the trip. So last season, I often took nuts, fruits, etc. with me, which come in no packaging.
        Something to point out is that in Europe, during games and practices, they provide us with bottled water, which I am not too happy about. In the US, though, during the practices and games, they have a canister of water that they use to fill our bottles with.

3. Gear

    So when it comes to equipment, there is no comparison between the amounts of stuff we got in college versus the things we got at my club.
    I am still wearing the things I wore for practice in highschool 5 years ago, but now I have 4 years worth of stuff from the states as well.
    Let us ignore the free gear we get and talk about basketball shoes. There are no ethical options for basketball equipment, and most players go through 2 pairs of basketball shoes a year. That is so wasteful, but you have to listen to your body, and if the shoes are done, you need new ones.
    Basically, we go through a ton of gear, but the amount given to us is still excessive and come from sweatshops!

4. Part of the entertainment industry

    So college and pro sports are part of the industry. That means big events, merch to buy that comes from sweatshops, free stuff given out that end up in the trash the same night, etc.
    This is something that is out of my control. But it is crucial to think about the bigger picture at times as well. For example, I personally can be zero waste, but if I use and support brands that are not, there is still room for improvement.
    When I was younger and saw teams winning championships, then splashing champagne everywhere, while confetti was flying, I thought about the poor cleaners, that have to take care of this once the party is done. Well, now I still think about the cleaners, but I also think, do we really need to waste champagne and why do flying pieces of plastic make us feel accomplished.
    Another side of this are the spectators and the culture that comes with going to watch sports. Most of the time, it means beer in plastic cups, hot dogs, fries, etc. SOOOO MUCH TRASH, I am going to get a headache just imagining it all. And don't get me wrong, I love going to a baseball game or a hockey game and getting the full experience, but now that I know what I know, I need to find a way to change it.

Okay, so this was a lot different from what I usually write, but I think it was important for me to think about my lifestyle and how I can perhaps be better. If you're reading this, I hope you enjoyed the whole rant I did about my two passions clashing!

Stay safe and have a wonderful day!

PLASTIC-FREE HOME | DIY Sugar Scrub

    Everyone needs to exfoliate their skin from time to time, whether they use a dry brush or a scrub. I used to not do it, but then I tried this DIY body scrub, and I love it. It is cheap and easy to make from stuff most of us already have in our kitchens.

Ingredients

• Some kind of a jar or an upcycled container to make this in
• Sugar - should be granulated. The sugar will be the mechanical exfoliant.
• Olive oil - moisturizer, plus a chemical exfoliant (has antioxidants that get deep in your pores)
• (optional) Essential oil - for scent, I like lemongrass the most for this.

How to make it?

1. Get the jar.
2. Put the sugar in first. I always eyeball it, so I don't have specific measurements to tell you.
3. Add the olive oil little by little until the consistency is not too thick nor too liquidy. Make it your own!
4. If you've decided to use essential oil, now is the time to add that in. About 15-20 drops should be good, depending on the amount of scrub made.
5. Enjoy the beauty product you just made!

Using the scrub

• I have mainly used it for my legs before I shave. This scrub makes them super silky and allows for a closer shave.
• PRO TIP: make sure to rinse off the oil after scrubbing to avoid blunting/clogging the razor.
• I have seen people use similar scrubs on their faces. I wouldn't recommend it just because the sugar can be a little harsh on your skin, and if you have oily skin like me, olive oil is just way too much for it.
• Super good for using on your feet!!!

    So this is how to make your own sugar scrub, which is cheap and easy to prepare. Also, the sugar comes in paper packaging, and olive oil comes in a glass bottle, so after you are done with those, it's an easy recycle.

I hope everyone is healthy and safe! Have an amazing day!

Mother Earth - A Poem by Me

MOTHER EARTH

    A Poem by Me

Ever since I was little,

I have cared about this thing.

No, it's not Brownie Brittle,

It's not just anything.

Nature is what I am talking about,

Shouldn't have been hard to guess.

It's on my mind day in day out,

This, I'm willing to confess.

Nature is powerful and scary,

So I wouldn't piss off our Mother.

She doesn't have a military,

But she has something other.

She's trying to show us,

Her breaking point is near.

There's nothing left to discuss,

It is all very clear.

We treat her like we are in control,

But oh, how wrong we can be.

When a couple of ozone holes,

Can result in dying seas.

She doesn't have arms or legs,

She doesn't even have a voice.

It's other ways she begs

Us to make the right choice.

Our house is burning,

It can't be denied.

It is concerning,

'Cause it's happening worldwide.

From hurricanes

To acidic seas.

Melting ice

And dying bees.

We still just sit and wait for someone

To change the world for us.

When it should be everyone.

Who can then ignore us?

So here I sit,

Writing these lines.

And I won't quit,

I won't stay on the sidelines.

Do what you can,

And know your worth.

You don't have to be batman

To help save Mother Earth!

Monthly Feature | The Unpaper Towel

    This month I am shouting out the Unpaper Towel, the company, and the idea behind it!
    According to EPA, paper makes up the largest share of municipal waste in the US. Included in that are disposable paper towels.
    Paper towels are popular everywhere these days. We, as a society, are used to disposing of most things after one use. Our parents, and the people before them did not do that (mostly because of money and accessibility where I'm from).
    In 2017 in the US, about 18 million dollars were spent on paper towels per 1 million people. This is by far the most money amongst all the countries in the world. The second place went to France, where about 9 million dollars were spent per 1 million people.
    I noticed that difference in my time over in the United States. And I have to admit, at first I went with it. It makes life very easy. You spill something - grab a paper towel, clean it up, and throw it away. DONE! You never have to think about that piece of paper again. But you should, and here's why.

Reasons to change your disposable paper towel habit

1. To make 1 ton of paper towels, approximately 17 trees and 20 000 gallons (~75 000 liters) of water are used. If you opted for the recycled paper towels, you would remove the trees from the equation and save about 7000 gallons of water per ton of paper made.
2. Paper towels, before being used, are very easy to recycle. After we use them, though, they can only be sent to landfill.
3. This one is just me asking you if you really need something disposable, where we already have a ton of stuff we could use that are reusable. Everyone has towels at home, or some sort of old clothes (preferably cotton) you could cut up into rags. I just think they are so unnecessary in the quantity we use them.

Disclaimer: I still use paper towels, but it takes me like 9 months to work through one regular roll of them.

NOW for the feature!

    "The Unpaper Towel. 12 towels snapped together placed around your ordinary paper towel holder. /.../ Completely washable, completely reusable." 

    This is how the product is described on their website. 

    The Unpaper Towels are such a fun way to spice up your kitchen while being more eco-friendly. Check out their website for more!

    And remember, it is an investment that will save you money later, so don't be scared off by the price of $55. You pay that once to never have to buy disposable paper towels ever again!

The idea

    As I mentioned earlier, I am not just shouting out the company and the product, but also the fantastic idea behind it!

    I know not everyone can pay for this product, and another problem is that they only ship to North America.

    So if you're not from North America or you do not have the opportunity to pay for these, there are other options. 

    If you search Pinterest for Unpaper Towels, you get a ton of DIY tutorials on how to make these yourself. 

    AND if you are like me and are not great at sewing, you don't need rags to be fancy! They're for cleaning up, they can look funky!

    In my home, we just cut up our old towels into square pieces and use those until they get too dirty to keep using.

    Be creative! It is your house, and that makes you in charge, no one can tell you that you're doing it wrong!

    So this is it for my Monthly Feature for April 2020. 

    This month, I encourage you to try and use less paper towels. You can just start by using 2 pieces instead of 3 and work towards stopping entirely.

 

Stay safe, and I hope you have a beautiful day!