Works and Publications
Explore environmental justice related works and publications created by our research team.
Extraction - A Podcast by Chie Togami
“Extraction is a three-part podcast that traces the history of the United States Steel Corporation (the world’s first billion-dollar company) from its founding in 1901 through today, presenting stories of people and places from which U.S. Steel has extracted natural resources and labor.”
The politics of airing grievances: an analysis of air quality knowledge and ignorance in Pittsburgh
by Chie Togami
“Pittsburgh's airshed is among the most surveilled and studied in the United States, yet its residents continue to endure some of the worst air quality in the United States. In 2016, in response to the decades-long failure of the local Board of Health to take decisive action against regional polluters, Pittsburgh residents began documenting their air quality complaints using the Smell Pittsburgh app. Drawing from an analysis of thousands of Smell Pittsburgh users’ reports, interviews with local air activists, and observations of Board of Health meetings, we investigate why air quality authorities dismiss the information generated by Smell Pittsburgh. By examining the Smell Pittsburgh data and asking what is being ignored by environmental regulators, we show that the app is threatening insofar as it serves as a repository of uncomfortable knowledge that testifies to the extent of environmental suffering generated by the region's hazardous air.”
This video was published by Planet Forward and selected as an honorable mention for Best Short Video of 2026.
Contact ctogami@esf.edu to access the full article
Organizing Environmental Justice: Air Pollution Drives Bridgeport, CT Residents to Empower Community
This video by Isaac Moore explores an environmental inequality faced by residents of Bridgeport, CT.
Bridgeport has the lowest average income in Fairfield County, and has the highest percentage of BIPOC ndividuals. It is also home to the largest incinerator in the state. Incinerators are notorious polluters of several dangerous toxins. Where governments fail to protect their citizens, community-based solutions like PT Partners are making Bridgeport residents more informed and resilient.