Creating Environmental Consciousness in Underserved Communities: Implementation and Outcomes of Community-Based Environmental Justice and Air Pollution Research

•The challenges of involvement from underserved communities in environmental health research are significant.•Researchers must first understand community perception of environmental health benefits to inform and guide the process of goal-setting.•Bottom-up principles are important when addressing environmental justice issues and should be undertaken as a long-term process.•Through community-based research building trust plays an essential role in transforming culturally sensitive issues at the community-level.•Having local residents co-facilitate trainings and workshops is crucial to promote environmental justice issues in communities to both empower and mobilize residents.