The Minnesota Climate Adaptation Awards, presented annually since 2014, recognize exceptional achievements in climate resilience. We know that celebrating success and showcasing the leadership of our peers can help to accelerate adaptation across Minnesota and beyond. Recipients have developed cutting-edge adaptation plans for their communities, supported project-specific implementation of adaptation investments, and served as leaders championing adaptation across their organizations.
View past award recipients
Creative Climate Communications Award
Collaborative Adaptation Award
- Truterra & the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program’s Climate Smart Farms Project
- Resilience & Adaptation Action Team that collaborated to develop the “Resilient Communities” goal chapter and other resilience and adaptation content of the Minnesota Climate Action Framework, published in September 2022.
- A Tribal Climate Adaptation Menu team
- City of Rochester Sustainability and Resilience Task Force
- Minnehaha Creek Watershed District & Hennepin County Emergency Management
Individual Adaptation Award
- Stephen Handler
- Syd Bauer
- Mindy Granley
- Jason Edens
- Meredith Cornett
- Olivia LeDee
- Paul Douglas
- Paul Huttner
- Paul Moss
- Sara Smith
- Sunny Ruthchild
Institution Adaptation Award
- Macalester College’s Ready and Resilient Climate Adaptation Research Team
- Metropolitan Council
- Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management and U-Spatial at the University of Minnesota, Duluth for the 2019 State Hazard Mitigation Plan
- Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) - Fisheries Research Unit
- Northern Institute for Applied Climate Sciences
- Stearns County Soil & Water Conservation District
- University of Minnesota, Morris - Office of Sustainability and Center for Small Towns
Organization Adaptation Award
- Great River Greening
- Frogtown Green
- Comfort Lake-Forest Lake Watershed District
- Ecolibrium3
- Climate Generation: Local Stories, Community Solutions
- HealthPartners
- Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate
- Minnesota Interfaith Power & Light
- Mississippi Park Connection and the Science Museum of Minnesota for their Plant for the Future project
- South Washington Watershed District
Climate Justice Leadership Award
Business Adaptation Award
- Murphy Warehouse
- Precipitate
- Room & Board
- The Guardian Building, St. Paul
Individual Lifetime Achievement
2026 Awards Committee
Melody Arteaga
MN Environmental Justice Coordinator
Center for Earth Energy & Environment
Jeff Bies
Senior Research Engineer
3M
Kenneth ("Kenny") Blumenfeld
Senior Climatologist
Minnesota State Climate Office
Camilla Correll
Water Resources Engineer
EOR Inc.
Howard Creel
Senior Government R&D Specialist
3M
Troy Goodnough
Sustainability Director
University of Minnesota Morris
Jothsna Harris
Change Narrative LLC
Brad Jordahl Redlin
Water Quality Certification Program Manager
Minnesota Department of Agriculture
Nate Meyer
Associate Director
University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership
Heidi Roop
Director
University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership
Paula Zaretzky
Sustainability Analyst
Anderson Corporation
The Minnesota Climate Adaptation Awards are sponsored by the University of Minnesota Climate Adaptation Partnership in partnership with the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and the University of Minnesota Extension.