We are very pleased to announce the startup of the Ear to the Earth Network, an international network of musicians, composers, sound artists, visual artists, scientists, environmental activists, and members of the public who are concerned about the environment. The focal point of the Network is its website.

The activities of the Network include an annual festival of environmental sound, images, and multimedia in New York City. The Network also produces forums and other events, fosters research and documentation, and enables an exchange of information, sounds, materials, and ideas within a growing community worldwide. And by providing access to the sounds of the world, the Network provides a vehicle for paying ongoing attention to the state of the world.

We are all aware that we are facing global disaster and disruption on a scale that will profoundly affect our lives and the lives of our children. It is beginning to happen already in many parts of the world. Yet, as clocked by day-to-day time, change seems to be happening so slowly that we live in a state of partial attention as we go about the details of our lives. Sometimes we ask ourselves, well, what can I do?

Here is something you can do. You can join this Network. It’s a new idea and an important one. Support us in what we’re doing, and participate. The Network can enrich your life. And by working with us in connecting people with the sounds of the world, you can help us to engage a larger and larger public in environmental awareness.

Please visit the site. Listen to a singing jaguar. Listen to the soundscapes of the Bosavi Rainforest in Papua New Guinea, Glacier Bay National Park, and Kits Beach in Vancouver. Listen to the sound of the Kauai ‘O’o, an extinct Hawaiian bird. And listen to a composition by David Monacchi based on water sounds.

Read the blog entries and go through the articles in the RESOURCES section. And become a member in the Network to participate in the blog, in an interactive listserv, and in the exchange of sounds. Become a member to benefit in many ways. And become a member to support us. Today is not too soon. Environmental actions should not be postponed.

Here is a direct link to the join-us page.

And once you’ve become a member, please participate.

Best,

Joel Chadabe
Executive Committee Member, Ear to the Earth
President, Electronic Music Foundation
joel [at] emf.org
http://www.emf.org
(518)434-4110 Voice
(518)434-0308 Fax

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