Twenty-first century libraries have gone through an evolution in the last 20 years, becoming the new community hubs and offering innovative programs, services, and technologies for all ages — from AI career training and small business help, to DJ labs and hydroponics gardening. Libraries do all of this and more to uplift and improve the lives of our residents through strategic partnerships and collaborations with community partners.
Most recently, the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District joined with nonprofit, academic, and public sector organizations in Southern Nevada who are united around the goal of developing solutions for cleaner air, better health, and reduced vulnerabilities to extreme heat. Known as Buen Aire Para Todos, the program will address some of the long-standing issues related to environmental justice and air quality in East Las Vegas. Approximately 65 percent of those who live in East Las Vegas are Hispanic and many work in outdoor service jobs. Residents are disproportionally impacted by poor air quality and extreme heat due to pollution from major highways, older homes without air conditioning, low access to personal vehicles, and low incomes.
Led by Impact NV, the program is being supported by the Library District, Desert Research Institute, the City of Las Vegas, and Make the Road Nevada, and funded by a $300,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency. With the help of a network of stationary and mobile, indoor and outdoor sensors, the program will help improve air quality monitoring capabilities in East Las Vegas.
Our East Las Vegas Library, located at 2851 East Bonanza Road, was selected as a monitoring location. Sensors will provide data on air quality for local residents, and allow the City of Las Vegas to access real-time, high-resolution data for one of the City’s most vulnerable neighborhoods.
The program partners will gather data from the sensors, and the partners will make recommendations to the City of Las Vegas on how resources could be used most effectively and equitably to improve air quality in East Las Vegas. The Library District is proud to participate in this important initiative, and help our partners find ways to improve the quality of life for our residents.
About this article: This article was originally slated for publication in the “Natural Resources” issue of Communiqué, the official publication of the Clark County Bar Association, (May 2023). See https://clarkcountybar.org/member-benefits/communique-2023/communique-may-2023/.
About the author
JoAnn Prevetti is the director of development for the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District. During her career, she has secured more than $300 million for national institutions of higher education and non-profit organizations including Autism Speaks, Motion Picture and Television Fund, New York University, and University of Arizona.
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