Activists try to strike a balance between being passionate and getting burned out.

By Cecilia Luce

When Kati Gallagher was an undergraduate student at the University of Vermont, she was preparing for an overseas career in international development. She double majored in sociology and global studies, and even studied abroad in Senegal during her senior year.

Now, more than 10 years later, she lives in Vermont and works for the Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC), where she focuses on sustainable land-use planning and development. Kati said that the time she spent out of the U.S. made her realize that she wanted to focus her energy locally. 

“That’s really where change happens. It’s where relationships get built,” she said. “We are messed up enough here, and I shouldn’t be telling other people what to do.”

The importance of local involvement also inspired Becca White, a Democratic senator for the Windsor district, to pursue a career in public service and advocacy. Growing up in Wilder (one of five villages in the town of Hartford), she was “attuned to how local government decisions have impacted [her] life.” 

That awareness led her to campaign for a position on the Hartford town selectboard in 2015 during her final semester as a student at UVM. She ended up winning the seat and serving for four years. After deciding that she wanted to work on a statewide scale, she went on to win a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives, and to become the youngest person to serve in the state Senate.

“Being on a local government board in any community, you realize at a certain point there’s certain things you just cannot do,” she said. “There are problems you cannot fix.”

Policy work regarding health care and climate issues pushed White to seek a position in the state legislature. However, she said that she still feels a strong connection to the Windsor district that she calls home: White resides in White River Junction, and has family members in Springfield, Weathersfield and Norwich.

During her time in the state legislature, White has worked on projects like the Global Warming Solutions Act, the Clean Heat Standard and the Reproductive Liberty Amendment to the Vermont Constitution. Being a part of the Reproductive Liberty Amendment is one of her proudest accomplishments, but she still considers climate change to be the issue that “wakes [her] up in the morning.”

She first began her climate activism journey as a summer canvasser for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group (VPIRG), a role that Kati Gallagher also took on during her summer breaks as a UVM student. Both White and Gallagher described the skills they learned from VPIRG, and how that knowledge has aided them in their respective careers in state government and land-use planning. Learning how to go door-knocking, for example, helped White during her political campaigns.

“I had this whole skill set that I hadn’t even realized, and I was able to use it in that first [selectboard] election, which was pretty exciting,” White said. 

Gallagher said that prior to working with VPIRG, she hadn’t found a method of environmental activism that she was drawn to. She preferred working “behind-the-scenes” to leading protests, and “didn’t really know how to engage in a way that [she] felt comfortable with.”

VPIRG exposed her to the fact that it’s possible to send an email to elected officials, and — especially in a state as small as Vermont — a response is likely.

In fact, Kati had such a positive experience with VPIRG that she recruited her younger sister, Marcie, to join the summer canvas program as well. 

Marcie, who studied environmental studies and political science at UVM, said that she “probably would’ve gotten involved with VPIRG anyways. But specifically, [she] got into it because of [her] sister.”

Like Kati, Marcie worked as a canvasser while at UVM, but she joined VPIRG’s full-time staff in 2019 after graduating. She is currently VPIRG’s environmental advocate, where she leads organizing efforts for the environmental health team. That role includes working toward zero waste solutions and protecting people from toxic chemicals, as well as doing policy work.

One of the biggest pieces of legislation that Marcie has worked on is expanding the so-called bottle bill. Marcie’s goal was to allow beverages such as water, wine and Gatorade to be deposited at redemption centers, as well as to incentivize existing redemption centers. However, for three consecutive years, the legislature adjourned before the bill could be passed.

“We were really, really close to getting the votes that we needed, but we didn’t,” Marcie said. “But it is still something I’m very proud of.”

Marcie described that it can be challenging to strike a balance between being passionate and getting burned out when it comes to environmental advocacy, especially for young people.

White also said that young people who are minorities in advocacy fields face additional challenges.

“If you are a person who is not typically seen in certain roles in our society, it will be harder for you to navigate those spaces and to be comfortable,” she said.

White said that her role as a young woman in the Senate requires her to be especially vocal and assertive in order for her voice to be heard. She also pointed out that a “spotlight” can sometimes appear on young women like her based on how they appear, dress or act on social media.

White added that working in the government can be difficult to maintain because it requires financial security that many young people (especially those who are unmarried) do not have. She said that she doesn’t have the same amount of free time that some of her colleagues might, because she has to work another job in addition to her government job. 

“Getting in and staying — that’s hard enough,” she said.

Kati also said that she has witnessed and experienced challenges based on being a young woman in climate activism. Although the organizations she has worked for have been “empowering and respectful,” she has experienced discrimination from community members — occasionally while door-knocking or canvassing.

“Most people are super kind and nice, and they’re interested in what you have to say — or at least they pretend like they’re interested in what you have to say,” she said. “Some people are not only not interested, but they feel the need to tell you why you’re wrong and how they know more than you do. … That builds a good tough skin.”

Kati said that it’s especially frustrating when young women are hired because of their expertise in a certain field, only for their expertise to end up being questioned.

Despite the obstacles that come with her position, White said that she finds it a powerful experience to work with her colleagues that are young women and “get stuff done.” She said that she has developed “rich friendships” through her work in the legislature.

White also credited her seatmate, Sen. Dick McCormack, D-Windsor,  who has been her mentor and an ally.

“He really gave me institutional knowledge that you just can’t get unless you have someone pass it down,” she said. McCormack, 76, announced his retirement earlier this year and is not seeking reelection.

Marcie said that she wants young people to feel like it’s sustainable to work hard at activism and to “do something draining for the right reasons.”

She emphasized the importance of taking rest when it’s needed, and not falling into grind culture.

“We’re in it for the long haul,” she said. “We need to be able to sustain our energy and keep doing this.”

Cecilia Luce is a recent graduate of Thetford Academy working with the Underground Workshop, a network of student journalists partnering with Community News Service.