Community Advisory Committee

The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) brings together grassroots leaders to shape climate and environmental justice solutions in Berkeley, ensuring those most impacted guide decisions and build community power.

About the program

Advancing Climate Equity Through Frontline Community Leadership

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The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) centers the voices of those most impacted by climate change in shaping the solutions our communities need. Convened by the Ecology Center, the CAC brings together community leaders to inform city policies and foster meaningful engagement.

CAC members contribute lived experience and insight into policy recommendations, ensuring community priorities guide decision-making. This work advances equitable, community-led climate planning and strengthens trust between communities and government.

The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) builds on over 50 years of the Ecology Center’s work at the intersection of environmental sustainability and social justice. Since its founding in 1969, the Ecology Center has prioritized equitable community engagement, building deep, trust-based relationships with communities most impacted by environmental harm and historically excluded from decision-making processes.

In recent years, this approach has taken shape through initiatives like the Climate Equity Collaborative, where community organizations worked alongside the City of Berkeley to inform climate policy and develop equity guardrails for electrification and resilience planning. These efforts emphasized lived experience as essential data and elevated community leadership in shaping solutions.

The CAC emerged from this foundation as a formal structure to embed community power directly into city planning. Today, it brings together grassroots organizations to guide the development of Berkeley’s Environmental Justice and Safety Elements—advancing a model of governance rooted in equity, accountability, and shared decision-making.