The Chicago Sun-Times asked people across the city to visually document their daily experiences with pollution and other environmental issues.

For more than a year, 14 people used disposable cameras provided by the Sun-Times to capture images showing ways that environmental factors affect their lives.

Then we interviewed them about what those images represent and why they are important.

For some South Side and West Side residents, industrial and traffic sources contribute to high levels of air pollution, odors and noise. Some of the participants in this project pointed to disinvestment in their communities. Others found escapes in the pockets of natural areas in and around the city.

These are their stories.