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!

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!!

The Letter to Start It All

Hey everyone,

My name is Kadri and I’ve loved nature for as long as I can remember. I will never forget the summers I spent at my aunt’s cottage in the middle of the woods in southern Estonia. I think the love and appreciation for nature is something Estonians are born with. Our country is very green and it is common to go berry picking or mushroom hunting in late summer. That is why it is crazy to think that I didn’t know about the environmental crisis until I was 17 years old and had to write a very extensive research paper in 11th grade. The topic for me ended up being “Freeganism and overconsumption”. Even though my main focus was on the people that call themselves freegans and dumpster divers, the 7-month long research on the topic ended up opening my eyes to the consumeristic society we live in. I was shocked! Surely, someone is doing something about this issue, I thought. But as I got older I realized no one cares. 

That research I did in my junior year of high school made me major in Environmental Science in college. I just felt like someone has to do something and that was enough for me to go for it. Every year that has passed since that decision the situation has only gotten worse and only last year (2019) I started noticing more and more people actually give a crap.

My closer friends from college know how passionate I can be about this topic, often getting emotional about how we are killing the planet. It was in college, where I first heard of the Zero Waste movement, and I quickly got sucked into the various Youtube channels showing easy zero-waste swaps, zero-waste grocery shopping, etc. I began to see how difficult it can be to change how you live in order to help the environment. As a division 1 student-athlete, I did not have a ton of time or money to change my habits overnight, but I started to make more of a conscious effort to be better and made some changes. 

I graduated from college in May 2019, and left the United States, to go back home and fulfill my dream of playing basketball professionally. That being my job means that I move to a different city or even country almost every year. At the moment, I am playing in Krakow, Poland, and where I’ll be in August, I have no idea.

This is what gave me the idea of starting my blog. I would love to have you guys follow my journey to the most low impact lifestyle I can possibly manage while being a professional basketball player. This blog will also help me feel even more motivated to keep doing the right thing for the planet and hopefully also inspire you guys. I understand that being able to pick and choose, where to grocery shop and sometimes pick the more expensive option is a privilege, but I also believe there is something everyone can do, even if it is just choosing to eat at the restaurant rather than getting take out. As Steve Jobs once said, “The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.” So let’s start this exciting journey and help each other become better people, while also helping the planet we call our home.

I hope to see you back here again soon!

Love,