Program areas at CEC
Climate Resilience & Justice:CEC deploys bold, community-led solutions rooted in climate justice aimed at protecting against extreme weather and climate impacts. Our current work, outlined in CEC's Climate Resilience Action Plan, is centered on increasing resilience to extreme heat, wildfire, and other natural disasters. This work includes actively collaborating with underrepresented voices in planning and implementing community-led solutions.
Energy, Transportation & Waste: Building on decades of work, CEC helps our region secure a rapid, equitable transition to 100% clean, renewable electricity and propel a rapid, equitable transition to clean, zero-emission transportation and buildings. Our efforts focus on ensuring that new construction is energy efficient and carbon-neutral; increasing access to electric vehicles (especially for low-to-moderate income and Spanish-speaking households); and advancing solar and energy efficient solutions for single and multi-family housing and nonprofit organizations. CEC also leads the Central Coast in pursuing a circular economy model that designs waste out of the food and plastic product systems.
Climate Policy & Education:CEC works to inform, unite, and engage a broad range of Central Coast residents to be stewards of the climate, building networks of diverse, engaged activists. Through our Climate Leadership and Climate Policy programs, CEC informs, energizes, and guides tens of thousands of individuals through webinars, political initiatives,meetings, hearings, events, and roundtable discussions. This includes producing Santa Barbaras annual Earth Day celebration in April, one of the oldest in the nation that typically draws 30,000 attendees each year.