Our First Fundraising Gala - Success!

Thank you everyone for a successful first fundraising gala! The Nov. 10 event at the fabulous Stillwater event space The Loft at Studio J was an incredible success! We had over 150 guests, all folks with an interest in doing whatever they can, physically, financially, and even spiritually, to help Stillwater and all the surrounding areas become more sustainable.

Thank you to KARE 11's Karla Hult for being a perfect emcee/auctioneer/hostess, Pedego Electric Bikes Stillwater for the best auction donation ever -- an electric bike! Tiffany Parr for the pool party donation, SpaceTurtle Construction for the wall build donation, Begonia & Bench for the candles, Cimarron Community Farm for the gourds, Justin Depew and Kelsey Depew for the table centerpiece rounds and award plaques, Bella Vida Catering for the complimentary desserts, Ted Redmond of @PaleBlueDot.llc for his inspiring keynote speech, Craig Hansen for the guitar music, and so many, many more for donating silent auction items and contributing generously to keep us busy this coming year. We are thrilled and gratified by your support.

ALSO, congratulations to the winners of the first annual Champions of Sustainability Awards!

Our winners and nominees for Green Business of the Year were Better Place Forests Group saving forests as memorial parks including one right here in Scandia, Cimarron Community Farm for regenerative agriculture and community involvement, and the winner, Healthpartners' Lakeview Hospital, with an impressive record of reducing waste and saving energy. Accepting for Lakeview Hospital and the Healthpartners Clinic was Eric Siskow and Allison Egan.

Green Leader of the Year nominees were Angie Hong of East Metro WaterResource Education Program for her heroic dedication to saving our local waterways, Jonathan Klapperich of WasteWise for administering grants to businesses for waste reduction,, and the winner, Ted Redmond of PaleBlueDot.ll, a consultant and civic leaders in the area of climate action planning, clean energy conversion, and carbon reduction.

Green Lawmaker of the Year nominee Stillwater City Councilman MikePolehna was recognized for his outstanding work with local parks and trails, and the winner was Rep. Shelly Christensen, who has had a perfect record of voting in favor of sustainability and the environment during her term in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

Finally, Green Volunteer of the Year had three nominees, Caitlin Bergh, who created the What's That Plant trail walks, and Janet Korteum, who organized and leads a Bluebird House project that currently maintains 15 nesting boxes. The winner was Ruth Alliband, rain garden team lead, who supervises rain gardens throughout the city and maintains seven of her own.

Congratulations to all the winners! Your efforts are so appreciated! Thank you for being such generous souls with your time, and for making the future what you want it to be.