Start of a plastic-free life. Zero-Waste transformation. Unpackaged store "Grammliebe".

September 5, 2024. So much for sleep... I couldn't sleep at all last night. I don't know why. Probably because I had so many thoughts in my head – about Julia, Zero Waste, and vitamins. I also had a bit of heartburn, probably because of the iron tablets. Anyway, I was awake until 3:00 a.m. and then I finally fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion. After getting up around 9:00 a.m., I went to the "grammliebe" unpackaged store in town.

I entered the unpackaged store, and shortly afterwards the owner approached me and asked if she could help me. I said I was just looking for inspiration, as it was my first time in this unpackaged store. Then we got into a long conversation, and unfortunately, I learned that Beate will be closing the store in November.

After the conversation, I came to the conclusion that all the closing unpackaged stores in the area are really closing – in my opinion – only because of poor marketing.

She also recommended a few other stores to me, including Samovar and Knolle. There, I can also find unpackaged products. In the store, I bought three cotton bags (6 euros) and filled up millet (7 euros/kg) and buckwheat (6.20 euros/kg). I also bought an olive oil soap bar (4 euros), which I can use to wash greasy dishes and make a zero-waste shower gel for guests (and sometimes for myself).

Afterwards, I sat outside at Espresso House and had a decaffeinated cappuccino. Suddenly, I saw a sunshade caught by the wind and blown around. A passerby immediately started chasing after the shade to check if anyone was injured. Then he set the shade back up. That's what I call civil courage. I was really amazed at how quickly he reacted. This man is now my role model.

Shortly after this little incident, my driving instructor called me and said that the driving test will actually take place on Tuesday. That's very good news.

Julia called me right afterwards because she had concerns. She said I seemed disinterested in meeting up with her yesterday. That's not the case, of course. The only thing I'm not too keen on are the acrobatic events in the city happening over the weekend. But that could probably change. Once I'm there and enjoying the events, my opinion might change. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing Julia.

We both want our connection to last longer than two weeks so that we can get to know each other better. If we both want that, the chances are high that it will stay that way.

In our conversation, I applied the new knowledge from Martin Wehrle's book, namely active and positive listening. I paraphrased Julia's concerns to show her that I listened and understood her. I also used positive listening by asking her what would need to happen for her to no longer fear that we would lose contact in two weeks. I think that helped to calm her down a bit and alleviate her fears. Many thanks to Martin Wehrle for this wonderful book.

On my way home, I bought two washcloths made of organic cotton at Rossmann – one for the kitchen and one for the body. They replace the microfiber cloths so I won't have to expose my dishes and body to plastic anymore.

After shopping, I walked through the train station and saw a rather stout woman having trouble carrying her walker up the stairs because the elevator was out of order. I thought of the man who showed civil courage today and did the same. I ran up to the woman and carried her walker up. She was very grateful, and I received a heartfelt smile from her. That's one way to brighten your own mood!

When I got home, I made the zero-waste changes. My pantry is almost plastic-free. I will use up the lentils and noodles in the packaging, and then I will only buy them at the unpackaged store. I will definitely get another organic bag for legumes. To deter food moths, I place a small bottle of lavender oil in this area.

The rest of the pasta that was still in plastic packaging was used up today while cooking. The plastic-packaged smoked tofu in the fridge is also gone.

After cooking, the pan and bowl were greasy, and I wondered how I could make a zero-waste dishwashing liquid in such cases.

After some consideration, I took baking soda powder, sprinkled a little over the pan and rubbed it with some water. This allowed me to easily remove the grease from the pan. Perfect! Now I have a dishwashing detergent – or rather a dishwashing powder – with which I can wash greasy dishes, completely free of preservatives, fragrances, or other chemicals, and above all, without packaging. From my large supply of baking soda, I filled some into a small jam jar from Mom, which I will now use in the kitchen for washing greasy dishes.

As a deodorant, I simply filled essential lemon oil with water into my small spray bottle. Although this is not a completely waste-free solution, because in the end, the bottle of essential oil remains as waste, it is a better alternative to the spray deodorant I currently use. This one is also in a glass bottle but has a plastic cap and a plastic sprayer.

For showering, whether for guests or occasionally for myself, I simply use the olive oil soap I bought at the unpackaged store.

I also grated a piece of soap, filled the soap dispenser with water, poured this water into a saucepan, and brought it to a boil. Then I added the soap flakes, stirred, and let it sit for about 10 minutes until the soap was completely dissolved. This is how I made liquid soap, which I then filled into the soap dispenser and placed in the bathroom. Of course, it would be even simpler to use solid soap directly. In any case, hand washing is now waste-free!

The following points I will still consider:

• Condoms (Solution: Einhorn condoms?)
• Dietary supplements, e.g. B12 as a vegan (Solution: Buy in glass/paper first?)
• Laundry detergent (Solution: Make it myself or buy it at the unpackaged store)
• Essential oil (Solution: Omit?)
• Replaceable broom head is completely made of plastic (Solution: Replace with a broom made of wood and natural bristles)

Once I tackle these last points, my household will produce 0% plastic waste. I'm so excited! If I weren't a minimalist, switching to a plastic-free life would certainly be much more difficult and time-consuming.

Today is the day I decided not to buy any more food or drugstore products in plastic packaging. Only biodegradable/compostable packaging is allowed from now on.