My School Essentials

With school around the corner I thought I'd put together a list of the things that get me through the school day and make it easier to keep to my plant based diet, cruelty free lifestyle and creating as little waste as possible.

Glass water bottle Glass can be endlessly recycled and won't be adding to landfills. With glass you don't have to worry about chemicals leaching into your water as it would with a plastic or metal bottles. Water also tastes better when you use a glass bottle because there is no metal or plastic taste that comes along with it.

Airtight lunchbox Being plant based means that nowhere on your campus probably sells food that you can eat. This is why I prepare my own lunches. I always make sure to pack a bottle of water, one solid meal and two servings of fruit. Having good quality airtight lunchboxes are a necessity if you want to avoid a mess.

Sunglasses Are an essential for avoiding eye contact. No I'm joking (not really). But seriously you need some kind of protection against the UV rays under the African sun when navigating around campus. The extra boost of confidence is a plus too.

Hand sanitizer/ wipes Does this one even need an explanation? Campus is filled with all kinds of germs and dirt and I can't function with dirty hands. I like the Forever Living brand of hand sanitizer because they are a cruelty free brand and are made with natural ingredients.

Lip Gloss/Balm Walking around with chapped lips is not only uncomfortable but embarrassing too. My favorite brands are Essence and Oh So Heavenly, which are both cruelty free and vegan.

Tablet Tablets are a great way to eliminate as much paper usage as possible. I take lecture notes and I keep all my digital notes on it, which means I don't have to be printing anything and carrying them around with me. It also replaces a paper diary as I keep my timetable, test and assignment dates in it. I also keep all the books I read on it to pass time either between or during boring lectures.

White Willow Bark is a herbal treatment for headaches, fevers and general pain. It is the basis on which aspirin was developed. I carry this with me everywhere I go because I suffer from migraines but they are also useful to in relieving normal headaches and even menstrual cramps.

These are my essentials. They make getting through the day and navigating campus that much easier. Hopefully some of them will make it onto your back to school shopping list along with a few plant based lunches.

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