The City of Saint Paul Public Works Department was recently recognized statewide for its creative outreach to keep the community informed and engaged. The City received two awards from the Minnesota chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA):
- Meet Saint Paul’s New Sustainability Squad (Best in Brand Management)
- Grand Avenue Reconstruction – Open for Business (Best in Community Relations)
The Minnesota PRSA award recognizes excellence at the state level. Both campaigns not only won their categories but were recognized as among the top five overall in the state. The common denominator? Collaboration—both within Public Works and in the community with residents and businesses.
“These campaigns weren’t created in a vacuum, or with the mindset of, ‘Let’s just get this done,’” said Lisa Hiebert, Communications Manager for Saint Paul Public Works. “There was a lot of intention and research behind each project. They were created with the future in mind, and they are both campaigns we’ll continue to build on.”
“I’m so proud of the work that went into listening and truly understanding the needs of Saint Paul residents,” said Mayor Kaohly Her. “It’s that kind of collaboration, creativity, and care that earned this recognition and, more importantly, the positive impact it’s having across our city.”
Meet Saint Paul’s New Sustainability Squad
Saint Paul Public Works launched the four mascots, the “Saint Paul Sustainability Squad,” as a creative way to inform and engage residents in recycling and waste reduction. The family-friendly squad, led by Sycamore Squirrel, also includes Reany Rabbit, Robie Raccoon, and Cedar Chipmunk. The squad can now be found throughout Saint Paul—on public garbage and recycling bins, in the quarterly Solid Waste and Recycling Newsletter, and in-person at community events. Each member of the squad is an educational ambassador, making recycling and waste reduction fun with their unique backstories.
The Public Works Solid Waste and Recycling team has found new levels of resident engagement since launching the mascots earlier this year. One of the most popular features has been the squad’s Dumpster Diaries series in the quarterly newsletter, which goes out with each bill.
“We’re getting inundated with calls after each mailing goes out. You’d think the comments would be about the bill, but they’re about the material that’s in the newsletter,” said Sarah Haas, Solid Waste and Recycling Program Manager. “My favorite comment was, ‘I hate to admit this, but the only reason I read your materials is that they’re cute.’”
To make the mascots especially eye-catching, Haas and her team partnered with Nico Curtis, Creative Services Coordinator and Graphic Designer for the City of Saint Paul. Building on a history of collaboration with Public Works, Curtis was able to anticipate how the mascots would be used in future outreach materials and tailor them with a range of outfits and poses—even expanding the City’s color palette to seamlessly incorporate the diverse new mascots into recognizable branding.
“We have a lot of people in Saint Paul who speak different languages,” said Curtis. “We found through the research process that having mascots who are kid-friendly can help kids engage with the materials and teach their families, as well.”
This new outreach was made possible by the shift to City-managed garbage collection. Previously, communication was coming from several different haulers. Now, the messaging is consistent to all households in Saint Paul. “There wasn’t unified messaging going out previously. Some haulers provided educational materials, some didn’t,” said Haas. “By bringing it all in-house, we’re providing a unified source of information.”