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External Request

Please read: 

Join Us In a Just and Sustainable Work Schedule

CleanAirNow remains committed to the well-being of the people who make up our organization alongside our work itself. Part of this means that we work to set boundaries on an institutional level such that our organization’s staff’s time is respected, appreciated, and not subject to  externally-determined urgency. 

While we appreciate the generous opportunities extended to us by outside partners, we remain best positioned to evaluate whether or not a new opportunity will serve the community and align with our current scope of work and capacity. 

In order to preserve a just and sustainable work schedule and work-life balance for CleanAirNow staff, as well as remain aligned with our mission and vision, CleanAirNow has several policies in place around external requests. 

First, please expect a turn around time of two weeks or more for a response to a new inquiry. Emailing the same request to all of our staff members will not produce a faster internal process on our end. Please cc executive leadership betomtz.lugo@cleanairnowkc.org

Second, all external requests must be submitted through the CleanAirNow screening questions. 

Third, for scheduling related to speaking engagements, long meetings, and grant prospects, we require a few month’s lead time. 

In closing, thank you for your respectful communication and support.

 

For more information, contact:

Beto Lugo Martinez  betomtz.lugo@cleanairnowkc.org

Telephone:  3233132253

Do you have a wonderful idea or would like CleanAirNow to be involved in a potentially great project or upcoming event?

We would love to hear from you. But first, please go through these five easy SCREENING Questions:

 

Does it support CleanAirNow mission and vision?

YES___ NO___

The mission of CleanAirNow is to organize with our community to accomplish environmental justice in Armourdale, Argentine Kansas City, and achieve the self-determination of immigrant, low-income, and working-class families.

IF YES, move on to the next question:

 

Does it support CleanAirNow current programs?

YES___ NO___

Please take a quick look at the CleanAirNow of what we do and who we are to give you an idea of its current programs.

IF YES, move on to the next question:

 

Does it promote or extend community education, outreach, and/ or organizing among community members?

YES___ NO___

IF YES, move on to the next question:

 

Does it provide CleanAirNow enough time for planning and execution?

YES___ NO___

CleanAirNow needs a minimum of 60 calendar days before your project or event start date.

IF YES, move on to the next question:

 

Will you be able to provide resources to CleanAirNow (financial, in-kind donation/s, technical assistance, expertise, training, volunteer/s, intern/s)?

YES___ NO___

CleanAirNow has very limited resources to help with your event or project idea.

 

Do you have at least four yes answers? If yes, we would love to hear from you.

Please email Beto Lugo Martinez executive director or call (323) 313-2253 for a brief synopsis of your upcoming event or project idea. Please do not email all the CleanAirNow staff to pitch your idea. Contacting Beto Lugo Martinez will suffice and he will get back to you shortly.

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Atenas Mena

Atenas Mena is the Environmental Health Director and shares a co-leadership role at CleanAirNow. Atenas was born and raised in Kansas City and is a proud first-generation Mexican American. She received her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Avila University in 2014 and went on to receive her master’s in nursing leadership from Missouri Western State University in 2019.

In addition to working as a nurse, Atenas received extensive environmental health training in the field, working with the Children’s Mercy Environmental Health Program team, as both an educator and a team coordinator. She has worked continuously throughout the last few years with CleanAirNow through boots-on-the-ground projects, served on the board of directors, and has recently transitioned into the current leadership role as Environmental Health Director. Atenas centers her work around reducing health inequities, educating communities on environmental health impacts, and empowering community members to have a voice and fight for equity and environmental justice.

Atenas recently received The Sapling Award in recognition of her outstanding commitment and leadership in environmental health nursing. This Award seeks to recognize a nurse leader who goes beyond everyday nursing endeavors to actively promote and protect environmental and human health and advance environmental justice.

Beto Lugo Martinez

Beto is an environmental justice organizer and co-executive director of CleanAirNow. He serves to raise community voices in the fight against environmental racism and to overcome the systemic exclusion of frontline communities from the decision-making process. His lived experience, growing up fenceline to a petrochemical facility continues to drive his work at the intersection of climate, environmental justice, and public health. He is a founding member of the California Environmental Justice Coalition, Co-Founder of La Union Hace La Fuerza, a farmworker justice organization and member of national CJ & EJ networks including the EJ Leadership Forum, Building Equity and Alignment (BEA) and the National Leadership Advisory Board Member of the Moving Forward Network.

Beto’s contributions to the movement include organizing, legislation that prioritizes environmental justice and community-led research amongst many other community-engaged initiatives that directly inform state policy. He has co-authored multiple academic publications on community-based participatory research, air pollution, data accessibility, and community engagement. In August 2023 was invited to continue serving through 2025 as a member of the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act Advisory Committee, to represent a grassroots frontline perspective. He also serves in advisory board roles of professional associations and academic institutions, such as the American Public Health Association’s Center for Climate, Health and Equity, Children’s Environmental Health Sciences Translational Research at USC, Community Engagement Core of the Southern California Environmental Health Sciences Center at USC, Health Effects Institute Environmental Justice Advisory Group and USC MPH Public Health Advisory Board Member for the Trojan Scholars for Advancement in Public Health.

Beto is currently involved in a research project titled “Building Momentum to Bridge Climate and Health Across KU Campuses and the Community supported by the Health Humanities and Arts Research Collaborative, The Commons, and the Office of Research at the University of Kansas.”