The Office of Energy & Climate Change is big on recognition, evidenced by the more than 200 local entities we’ve named as Dane County Climate Champions in the last five years. Still, it was a little disconcerting to have the tables turned on me recently when two separate entities recognized my work on sustainability and climate action.
In early November the Sustainable Business Council (SBC) honored me with the Thomas L. Eggert Leadership Forward Award. And that same week the Sierra Club honored me with their Torchbearer Award.
Both of these recognitions are a big deal to me; receiving just one would have had me a little emotional so the combination, well, there was some crying.
The SBC award matters because it comes from the business community. I’ve spent my whole career as an outsider in that community, nudging businesses to action, first at Focus on Energy then at Cool Choices and now at Dane County. My colleagues in the business community would likely tell you that I am always ready with ideas for what businesses could do next to advance sustainability or clean energy. I like to think that they would also tell you that I’m a strong supporter of their sustainability efforts, that I tend to praise generously in public, reserve criticism for private discussions, and deliver assistance whenever I can. I appreciated hearing that businesses appreciate my efforts. More, this specific award is named for Tom Eggert, the founder of SBC, a catalyst for sustainability efforts in Wisconsin and a mentor and friend of mine—so I had big feelings. For me, the SBC Eggert award means that businesses consider me an ally, which is gratifying and also motivating (more on that later).
The Sierra Club honor evokes a different set of feelings. Throughout my career in energy and climate action, I have considered the Sierra Club, both nationally and locally, to be thought leaders in terms of what is possible, relative to clean energy but also environmental equity and justice. I can think of specific Sierra Club campaigns, like Beyond Coal, that shifted my thinking in substantive ways. So, recognition from the Sierra Club is a signal that they think I am doing the right things, that I’m an ally to their causes. Again, this is gratifying and it’s also humbling and, again, it’s motivating.
But why do I keep referencing motivation? Surely awards are an opportunity to bask in past accomplishments, right? Not exactly. One of the things that is clear from research on positive reinforcement, including recognition, is that recognition is an accelerant. When someone gets recognized, it will often spur others around them to do more, to achieve similar recognition (this is a big piece of the logic behind our Climate Champions program…when we recognize municipal leadership in one community we spur action in two other communities, for example). Less understood, though, is that recognition also spurs more action from the person being recognized. When the business community says I’m a good ally it makes me a little more self-conscious about my efforts, more careful to be a good ally. And similarly, the Sierra Club recognition has me feeling self-conscious about my efforts to support local climate activists and clean energy stakeholders.
The two award ceremonies further deepened my motivation. At SBC Tom Eggert shared some quotes that people had provided when nominating me and the Sierra Club showed videos where people talked about each of the awardees. I managed to hold it together (more or less) at SBC but the Sierra Club video left me in tears. It is powerful to know that your colleagues see and appreciate your efforts. And, again, it’s very motivating, creating a strong urge to live up to those kind words.
All that means that I am more determined than ever to lead countywide climate action as effectively as I can and to be a good ally to all of our partners, whether private businesses or environmental activists or something else entirely. I am grateful for the recognition from these two entities but I’m also happy to be back at work, getting things done for all of us in Dane County.
Kathy is the Director of the Dane County’s Office of Energy and Climate Change. In that role she's leading efforts to implement the Climate Action Plan. Prior to coming to Dane County, Kathy led Cool Choices and, prior to that, she led Wisconsin's Focus on Energy program.
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