Chester is RisingExplicit

by David DeMarco

Arson, break-ins, death threats, the Ku Klux Klan - all tried to stop her. Zulene Mayfield is a zealous resident whose family is being poisoned by one of the United States’ largest trash incinerators. Her hometown, the city of Chester, Pennsylvania, was invaded by a unique clustering of solid waste facilities in the late eighties and early nineties. Her activism fostered Supreme Court cases which sparked the US environmental j... Read more
News Commentary
Earth Sciences
Documentary

Podcast episodes

  • Season 1

  • S01 E05 - Episode 5 - Rise

    S01 E05 - Episode 5 - RiseExplicit

    David confronts the incinerator and the state of Pennsylvania. In analyzing their responses, he begins to learn the true nature of modern-day environmental injustice. The series ends with a focus on personal, environmental, and po...

    Jul 04 2021
    Jul 04 2021
    47:37

  • S01 E04 - Episode 4 - Schism

    S01 E04 - Episode 4 - SchismExplicit

    Zulene returns to Chester to find the city moving in the opposite direction CRCQL intended. As she rebuilds CRCQL, David investigates the city's tight-knit relationship with the incinerator.

    Jul 03 2021
    Jul 03 2021
    45:06

  • S01 E03 - Episode 3 - National Sword

    S01 E03 - Episode 3 - National SwordExplicit

    We take a break from Zulene's story and investigate the US global waste management system. David begins to learn the insidious way America handles waste.

    Jul 02 2021
    Jul 02 2021
    36:13

  • S01 E02 - Episode 2 Part 2 - Stormy Weather

    S01 E02 - Episode 2 Part 2 - Stormy WeatherExplicit

    As the incinerator opens its doors in the 90's, nearby neighborhoods grow increasingly concerned about the smoke and smells coming from the facility. With help from filmmaker Robert Bahar's 1997 documentary "Laid to Waste," we exp...

    Jul 01 2021
    Jul 01 2021
    20:15

  • S01 E02 - Episode 2 Part 1 - Stormy Weather

    S01 E02 - Episode 2 Part 1 - Stormy WeatherExplicit

    We go back in time to dive deep into Chester's history. The seed that germinated Chester's environmental problems was sowed long before the incinerator opened its doors. Part 1 explores the corrupt political machine that sold Ches...

    Jul 01 2021
    Jul 01 2021
    21:06