Today: Mar 28, 2024

Learning how to plant

Madeline S. ScharfReporter

On Sunday, April 11, Residence Life hosted an event. The sustainable planting event was held as a part of the strengthening Sunday’s program. 

Biology major Kaheria Burgees,  worked as an administrator for the event. She helped show students how to plant their own seedlings and encouraged them to decorate. “This is the sustainable planting event,” said Burgees. “Residence are encouraged to bring their own pots to plant in so they can recycle.” 

The recycling portion of the event drew in Recreation and Leisure major Rachael Martins, a freshman, “I brought my own can,” said Martins, “and am able to reuse my items. That is really nice.”  

Students were able to pick from a variety of seeds, from flowers to vegetables, to plant. They were then able to color their containers with sharpie or acrylic paint. If students did not bring a recyclable, ceramic pots were provided.  

This event comes right at the beginning of the Spring season. During this time, it is often that flowers begin to grow and flourish. It is a time of new beginnings and rebirth.  

This event is a part of a program at Residence Life called Strengthening Sundays. Strengthening Sundays are held every Sunday and encourage students to relax and destress after the week. Burgees sees similarities to taking care of a plant and taking care of oneself, the main purpose of Strengthening Sundays. “It is fun to watch the plants grow, to nourish them,” said Burgees. “It is a lot like Strengthening Sundays, when you nourish yourself.”  

Burgees hopes that while taking care of the plants, students will learn to take care of themselves more. “Sometimes it is hard to care for a plant, sometimes you feel like you just don’t have time,” said Burgees, “But it is easier to make time to see these plants flourish. It also goes hand-in-hand with yourself, if you give yourself time, you will also flourish.” 

 Martins finds this event to be positive for stress levels. “I really love that this is a destressing event,” said Martins.  

Plants and nature have  been proven to have a positive effect on one’s mental health and mood, . according to a research study produced by the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRAP). “Spending time in green environments can relieve not only anxiety and stress, but also sadness and depression,” said the study.  

Jack Prestage, a freshman, finds  plants to be positive to the area. “I like plants,” said Prestage. “They have a calming aura to them. It is nice to see plants in places like this. Places like these dorm buildings.”  

The study by NRAP affirms this belief. “Green environments are essential components of a healthy human habitat,” said the paper. Being around greenery and plants is proven to be positive for people’s health. The University is in the middle of New Haven, one of Connecticut’s major cities. This means there are not many areas with flowers or forests. Having a plant, however, brings a bit of  a green environment into the dorm room.  

This event, like many other weekend events, was held at the Farnham Programing Space (FPS). The space is held by the residence life quad, in the basement of the Farnham dorm building. This proximity has encouraged students to continue attending these events. “I usually come to all the FPS events,” said Prestage, “it’s easy to go because I live right here.”  

Strengthening Sundays’ events are held every Sunday at the FPS center. The program advisors are excited to have more people engage in the weekly events. “Please, feel free to come down,” said Burgees. “We love new faces. Even if you want to pop by the space to just hang out, it is available.” 

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