Beautiful U Day is an annual initiative celebrating the University of Minnesota's natural resources, buildings, and grounds. A tradition since 1997, Beautiful U Day combines hands-on beautification efforts with academic forums to celebrate our campuses across Minnesota and acknowledge our responsibility to maintain our physical and natural resources. Each year, hundreds of volunteers are needed for Beautiful U Day projects.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Daily Schedule

2007 Projects that were funded by the Twin Cities BU Day Office

• Crookston Natural Resources Club has been awarded $1,960 in a 2007 Beautiful U Day Grant for their project titled "Environmental Interpretation of the UMC Nature Nook"
• UMC Facilities Management has been awarded $3,000 in a 2007 Beautiful U Day Grant for their project titled "Centennial Gardens Walkway"
• UMC Communication Club has been awarded $500 in a 2007 Beautiful U Day Grant for their project titled "Capturing U"
• Crookston Information Technology (IT) Professionals Club & Help Desk Employees has been awarded $2,000 in a 2007 Beautiful U Day Grant for their project titled "Container Planting for U"

2007 Projects that were funded by the Crookston BU Day Committee

• Fence for oriental garden - northside of Dowell Hall (blocks view of generators and canoes)
• Plaque and acid wash treatment for "Achievement and Aspiration" granite sculpture
• Children's Center art exhibit area (north wall of ECDC building)
• 2 maroon benches for bus stop or mall area (TBD by Facilities Management)

Ideas for this year's Beautiful U Day:

Inside Activities

• Clean Office Award! Please nominate a co-worker (or yourself) who may need to tidy their area and we'll see if they're able and willing to participate!  Chancellor Casey and Tom Feiro will visit offices between 2pm-3pm and will announce the 1st-2nd-3rd place winners at our 4pm ice cream social.
  • Prizes:  gift certificates to the bookstore: $25, $15, & $10.
  • If you would like your office judged, call the InfoDesk at x8520. 
  • You may want to take "before" and "after" photos as proof of your efforts.
• Cleaning/spray bottles from last year that need refilling, please bring them to facilities Thursday.
• Clean classroom desks (during breaks)
• Dispose of unused computer equipment:  Inventory disposal form:  http://process.umn.edu/groups/ppd/documents/form/propertydisposal.pdf  (form must be approved before you can physically dispose of the assets and computers must be wiped, so bring them to the help desk)
• Wash interior windows in your office/building
• Encourage those around you to clean up their areas
• Scrub corners of stairwells, where the machines "miss"
• Clean drinking fountains
• Re-do your poster boards in the hallways
• Transplant existing plants that need refreshing:  go to the horticulture headhouse
• Select a plant and container for your office: Sahlstrom conference center entrance or horticulture headhouse (east end of campus)

Outside Activities

• Get some colleagues together to pick up cigarette butts and trash around your building (buckets, trashbags, gloves available at BU Head Quarters in the Eagle's Nest)
• Walk around parking lots or join a club that's working to clean up a "zone" of the campus
• Rake (wear gloves!)
• Blow leaves/butts out of the shrub and rock areas (see Jerry in Facilities Management)
• Litter pickup: (ideas from Scott Kleven at Crookston Park 'n Rec):
  • Along bike path 
  • Along bike path in front of high school (also the curved road behind Walmart)
  • North Broadway, along fence
  • Along RR tracks (behind Conoco Express/M&H/Crooks Club) to Robert Street
  • South Highway 75 from American Crystal to downtown
  • Salem Motors east to hockey arenas.

For more information contact Christo Robberts at crobbert@umn.edu.