Brunch for Better in Minnesota

Brunch for Better is an exciting event benefiting Clean Water Action & Clean Water Fund featuring a buffet brunch, photo booth, cash bar, and an awards ceremony.

We’re coming together to celebrate our successes from 2024 and to look forward to 2025. Our award ceremony is honoring advocates from the community and the legislature to highlight and thank them for the work they’ve done to protect and preserve Minnesota’s water for future generations.

We hope you join us at the iconic Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant for a fun, casual, brunch event that is rooted in the celebration of the past and excitement for the future. Come mingle, eat delicious food, and help us change the world.

We can't wait to see you!

Help us continue our work for a healthy and just Minnesota by purchasing your ticket or sponsorship. All proceeds benefit Clean Water’s campaigns to protect families from toxic chemicals, empower environmental justice communities, reduce plastic pollution, and a clean water future for all residents of Minnesota. 

Register or become a sponsor below. If you would prefer to mail a check, please print and enclose this form.

Please note that contributions to Clean Water Action are not tax deductible. If you are making a large gift, or need a tax-deductible option for giving, you may register for the event via Clean Water Fund, our tax-deductible education fund, here.

Please join us in congratulating our 2024 Honorees:

Amara Strande Advocacy Award: Nora Strande 
We named this award after Amara because of the role she played in passing the most comprehensive PFAS legislation in the world. The Amara Strande Advocacy Award winner exemplifies advocacy in a multitude of ways: this person sets an example and inspires others by challenging the status quo and speaking up for our water; they actively seek to improve our community, even when the odds are against them. For this winner, truth is key, and they aren’t afraid to tell it, and as Amara said, they know what it means to truly “speak truth to power.” Winners of this award are selfless, focused on service, bring people together, share stories, and positively fight for a better tomorrow.  

The Frank Hornstein Lifetime Achievement: 
Like the David Zwick Impact Award, this award isn’t given every year. It’s named after former Clean Water Action co-Director and state legislator Frank Hornstein because of his decades of nonstop advocacy, and to honor the way he changed the trajectory of environmental work in Minnesota. This award is special because it honors a lifetime of work by someone who has dedicated their education, career, and/or personal time to protecting the water we drink and our environment. This award recognizes and honors that sometimes progress doesn’t follow a straight, continuous path—and that despite setbacks and discouragement, the work must continue. This person understands that decisions today impact the future in ways that we won’t ever see firsthand, and they value and recognize the importance of protecting generations to come.  

Legislator Of The Year, House: Sydney Jordan
Legislator Of The Year, Senate: Jen McEwen  
The legislator of the year award is given to one House member and one Senate member who went above and beyond to support Clean Water Action Minnesota’s goals. These lawmakers worked hard to advocate and progress an agenda focused on protecting our water for future generations. Without lawmakers such as these, change could not happen. Legislators of the Year for the House and Senate listen to Minnesota’s diverse communities, think strategically about how to create a healthier, safer future, and understand the value of our water. 

Environmental Justice Award: Joe Vital
The Environmental Justice Award is given to one individual who demonstrates a strong passion towards justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion regarding environmental policy or environmental advocacy. This person not only understands that certain communities have been suffering under the cumulative impacts of pollution in many forms for decades but seeks to change the status quo. The recipient of this award has shown dedication and bravery with regards to standing up to the systems that support institutionalized racism, inequity, and the polluters who seek to profit off these unjust systems across Minnesota.   

Clean Water Ambassador Award: Kelly Casey, Representative Andrew Myers, Representative Larry Kraft, Senator Karin Housley, Senator Erin Maye Quade, Senator Aric Putnam, Kelly Morrison, Lori Olinger, Representative Nathan Coulter, Kirk Koudelka, Brian Poulton, Jim Nicholson, Devavani Chatterjea, Nazir Khan, Jane Dow

Help us continue our work for a healthy and just Minnesota by purchasing your ticket or sponsorship today. All proceeds benefit Clean Water Action and Clean Water Fund’s campaigns to protect families from toxic chemicals, empower environmental justice communities, reduce plastic pollution, and provide a clean water future for all Minnesotans.