Machela Sweeney usually gets her ideas from Pinterest. That’s where she got the idea for her sustainable flower program.

“When I originally saw the idea on Pinterest, people were using cans for their flower pots,” Sweeney said. “I decided to use water bottles since my roommates and I always have those laying around.”

Sweeney then gathered up water bottles, soil, paint and an abundance of flower seeds.

Sweeney is a Resident Assistant for University Village. Every month, RA’s are in charge of creating their own programs centered around learning, living or growing.

Residents were then able to chose from marigolds, baby’s breath, morning glory and aubrietia for their flower seed selection.

“Residents get to learn different ways to be sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint,” Sweeney said.

Olivia Sandoval is a freshman and doesn’t often come to RA activities.

“It can be hard to get out of your comfort zone by coming to these events,” Sandoval said. “The best part is, you can just do your own thing, and you can connect with others if you want.”

Brittney Coles is a fellow RA at University Village, who brought some of her residents to participate in the event.

“A lot of these programs have meaning behind them, so residents can learn about something new while they hang out in a good environment,” Coles said. “We try to cater our events to our residents’ interests. We always want them to have a good time.”

Sweeney wants residents to learn about different ways they can be sustainable going forward.

“You can recycle, take shorter showers and remember to turn off lights when you leave your apartment,” Sweeney said. “They may seem small but they do have an impact. Our earth is only going to be around for as long as we take care of it, so it’s important to learn what we can do.”