How compatible are being a student and living sustainably? What can students do in their day to day life? We talked to Cassain about their vegan and sustainable lifestyle as a student.
See veganism as a challenge
”I got challenged to be vegan. Now I am still vegan after 3 and a half years”, that was Cassain’s way to veganism. It doesn’t matter if someone else challenges you or you come up with a challenge yourself. It is a fun way to try it for a few weeks, a month or so and maybe you like it as much as Cassain.
Try new recipes
When you make the choice of becoming vegan Cassain’s advise is ”Don’t try to recreate your favourite non-vegan dish. You’d be disappointed”. The key is trying out new dishes from all sorts of cuisines. If you are more advanced you can start trying to
Fair devices
Try to look at ”how reparable is my phone or devise?” Most electronic devices have to be brought to a store if they’re broken. Furthermore, software updates are not available after a while. Cassain therefore mentioned the importance of keeping onto devices for as long as possible. As an example: fair phone batteries or screens can be easily repaired at home and software updates are guaranteed for many years.
local markets
Every week Cassain goes to the local market in Nijmegen to do the weekly groceries. It requires a lot of planning, but it is worth it. Best is if you plan your meals for a week and get all your groceries all at once. Do not forget to bring enough bags and food nets to save packaging waste!
Vegan student association
Being vegan can feel lonely sometimes, but in Cassain’s case joining the Vegan Student Association Nijmegen helped. They were and still are able to meet like-minded people and get inspiration. You don’t have to be vegan if you want to join. VSA is also for those who are curious about a more animal friendly diet.
