UPWr Participatory Budget: vote and change the Biskupin Campus!

• Staff project: Herb sensory garden – HerbUP
• Staff project: Bee-therapy garden. Apitherapy and leisure
• Staff project: It’s in our nature – DON'T THROW AWAY, SHARE!
• Student project: Science and relaxation at the WBiHZ faculty
• Student project: Work & chillout zone - Biskupin Campus

The Participatory Budget was created as an initiative of the social responsibility team. Its aim is to strengthen the sense of community of all those involved in the life of the university: staff, students, and students of the doctoral school.

Participatory Budgets, also called civil budgets, have been an element of community building for many years. It is a democratic process of discussion and decision-making in which the residents of a community or city decide how to spend part of the local government's budget. Universities have also embraced this idea. Last year, ours did too.

The winning projects of the first edition of the UPWr Participatory Budget were the Bee&Chill Patio in the library and Bee friendly!, an insect- and bird-friendly garden in the car park at the Geo-Info-Hydro building. The former is a student initiative, the latter a staff initiative.

This year's budget will apply only to projects within the Biskupin campus. The university will allocate PLN 100,000 for their implementation (50,000 - for staff and doctoral projects, 50,000 - for student projects).

Vote

• Voting is open until Tuesday, 28 February.
• Students vote for student projects, staff and PhD students vote for those submitted in their category.

Staff project: Herb sensory garden – HerbUP

The object of the project is to create a garden with herbs and vegetables, between the buildings of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Science and the Institute of Agricultural Engineering, to be used by both staff and students, for example during classes or food technology laboratories.

Herbs and vegetables will be planted in large containers together with an irrigation system. The plants will be described with botanical names and those used colloquially by herbalists and cooks. The aim of the project is to create a nice space to spend time between activities: fragrant with herbs and full of honey plants. 

The project was submitted by employees of the Department of Horticulture (Magdalena Rowińska, Kacper Parypa, Miron Lewandowski), and its cost is PLN 38 000 (purchase of containers, pots, substrate, irrigation system, lamps for illumination, and seedlings and seeds).

Staff project: Bee-therapy garden. Apitherapy and leisure

The project aims to develop a green area within the campus. It will provide a place for rest and relaxation surrounded by greenery, flowers and the sounds of nature. The project proposes to create an apitherapy area. – The essential oils floating in the air create a sense of calm and relaxation, and the location of the house in the plant environment and in light shade will further allow respite even on hot days – the project members say.

In addition, a small garden of vegetable plants and herbs will be created as part of the project to demonstrate good practice in using urban space to grow plants that give us food and at the same time are a benefit to pollinators.

The project was submitted by Prof. Barbara Król, Dr. Maja Słupczyńska, Dr. Sylwia Wierzcholska and Dr. Paweł Migdał. The cost is PLN 50 000 (includes: the purchase of a lightweight wooden house, adapting the grounds, the purchase of plants, benches, hammocks, garden tables and waste bins, and the purchase of the bee colonies).

Staff project: It’s in our nature – DON'T THROW AWAY, SHARE!

The object of the project is to put up a food sharing fridge on the premises of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Science, and  display information on not wasting food next to it. – Creating a food bank at the Biskupin Campus would reduce food waste and help students reduce food costs during their studies and others in need.

Proponents say that food waste is a huge problem of the 21st century. On one hand, large amounts of food are thrown away every day, while on the other, rising food prices make it a major challenge for some people to buy food.

The project was proposed on behalf of the staff by Dr. Marzena Styczyńska, Head of the Department of Human Nutrition. The aim is to purchase, among other things, a refrigerated display case, display cabinets, a table, a metal cabinet with glass doors and a waste bin. The estimated cost of the project is PLN 15 000.

Student project: Science and relaxation at the WBiHZ faculty

The aim of the project is to create a friendly area to study and relax for students. The project will involve renovating the canteen and library of the Faculty of Biology and Animal Husbandry (painting the walls, replacing tables, purchasing chairs and pouffes). A rest area and quiet zone will be created. The University Museum has its showcases in the library that introduce students to the anatomy and biology of many animals, etc.

– The project also includes a gallery of the Białowieża Forest fauna and flora. The professional photos, taken by our colleague, a nature photographer will be framed and hung up. This is intended to raise awareness about birds and other animals, and how to protect them – reads the description.

The project was submitted by the Student Science Clubs: "Mlecz" and "Teriologists". The estimated cost of it is PLN 50 000.

Student project: Work & chillout zone – Biskupin Campus

The 'Work & Chillout Zone – Biskupin Campus' project envisages the development of a space where students could rest and study together. The project would eventually be arranged in place of the former "Tarczynski" chillout zone in the building of the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences.

There would be three zones: a place where students could prepare for classes individually (a long worktop, chairs, office lamps, all with easy access to power and the Internet); a place where students could eat together, prepare for classes and complete projects in groups (round tables and chairs) and a place to relax (a comfortable sofa and pouffes). The different areas would not be physically separated, but the arrangement of the furniture would allow each area to function independently. The project involves replacing damaged and dirty paving, painting the walls and purchasing furniture and appropriate electrical installation.

The project was submitted by Katarzyna Filipowicz, a biotechnology student. The estimated cost of its implementation is PLN 40 256.40.

Vote

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  The second edition of the UPWr Participatory Budget has launched

  The call for applications for the second edition of the university's participatory budget is now open, and will remain open till the 3rd of February.