Night to Unite Brings Community Together in Stillwater

What a fun evening! Sustainable Stillwater MN had a fantastic time joining the Stillwater Police Department and the City of Stillwater for Night to Unite 2026 at Washington Square Park.

Andi Arnold, SPD Mascot, and Brad Junker

With an estimated 750 people attending the event, our team connected with more than 250 community members through games, conversations, and plenty of smiles. As always, our inflatable Earth costumes were a crowd favorite, drawing families over to our booth. Kids (and quite a few adults!) loved spinning our sustainability wheel, answering questions about our five program areas, and earning packets of pollinator-friendly seeds to plant at home.

One of the most valuable parts of the evening was hearing directly from the community. We surveyed 92 people of all ages to learn how they discover local events and how they'd prefer to hear about future opportunities. While every generation had its favorite communication channels—from TikTok and Instagram to newspapers and community newsletters—one message was clear across every age group: a personal invitation from a friend or family member makes people much more likely to participate.

The event also provided an opportunity to spread the word about Valley Climate Action Week, connect with local leaders, businesses, scout troops, city officials, and community organizations, and strengthen relationships that help make our work possible.

A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by to chat, play a game, complete our survey, or learn a little more about building a sustainable community together. We can't wait to see many of you again during Valley Climate Action Week this September!