The voting period to choose the projects that will be started in 2022 as part of Participatory Budgeting at the Miguel Hernández University of Elche (UMH) is now open. Through September 22, all university community members may vote on a maximum of three proposals, and then award each either 5, 3, or 1 point. Information about Participatory Budgeting is available at presupuestosparticipativos.umh.es, and here the electorate can read about this initiative, learn about the ten projects up for election, and cast their votes once they identify themselves with their usernames and passwords.

The ten projects chosen that can be voted on include: Chess boards placed around outdoor locations on UMH campuses, transforming existing wooden tables in leisure areas of these different university sites; Placement of picnic tables on green spaces of the Orihuela Desamparados Campus to enable greater interaction with nature and to better undertake open air activities; Foldable stools made from sustainable materials placed on the four campuses to facilitate outdoor meetings, the stools of which are easily moveable to take advantage of tree shade, the season, and time of day. Votes can also be cast to place masts on the San Juan Campus to then hang removable shades that will facilitate academic and social activities in the out of doors there; Acquire standing desks for all four campuses to facilitate changes in posture and thereby reduce physical inactivity as a risk factor for musculoskeletal problems; Install a parking space on the Orihuela Desamparados Campus for 16 electric scooters equipped with an anti-theft locking system and electrical outlets for charging; And the installation of outdoor drinking fountains between campus buildings to enhance healthy hydration habits and reduce the consumption of plastic bottles among the university community.

Other initiatives are that of a #UMHProyectoODS space on the Elche Campus featuring a rubber disc some 9 meters in diameter that is painted with the colors of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Placed around this circle would be 18 vertical panels that inform about the actions and best practices that are employed at the UMH to contribute to some of the objectives of each SDG; Installation of a system of nets on the padel tennis courts on three campuses (Elche, Orihuela Desamparados, and San Juan) to prevent bird collisions with the glass surfaces. And last but not least, the creation of a new exercise area on the Elche Campus that is better adapted and more accessible for use by the entire university community.      

To monitor the voting progress, go to presupuestosparticipativos.umh.es