Environmental Data & Governance Initiative (EDGI)

EDGI is an action-oriented research collaborative driven by the Environmental Right to Know (ERTK) – the belief that people should be able to know and make decisions about environmental conditions of concern, and that the collection and stewardship of environmental information should equip people, communities, and workers to protect their health and support the flourishing of surrounding ecosystems.

Active

Since 2016

USA

Open source: Yes

Forming in November 2016 to document and analyze changes to vulnerable federal environmental data and governance practices under the Trump administration, EDGI has grown into the preeminent watchdog tracking and assessing modifications to federal environmental information resources and their accessibility; a national leader in highlighting Trump’s impacts on environmental, data, and information policies and practices; and the forerunner in developing a new field of inquiry and critique: environmental data justice. Our work has garnered national and international media coverage, appearing in major outlets like The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Time magazine, and CNN. Today, this work is just as vital as ever. Glaring inadequacies persist in our federal environmental and information policies, leaving critical data vulnerable and inaccessible, environmental conditions unknown, and communities without the necessary resources for protecting their wellbeing and effecting change. Our environmental and public health outcomes depend on the strengthening of the ERTK and in turn environmental and information governance, and our work is dedicated to this fight.