Why are we doing this ?
We are all aware that we are facing global disruption on a scale that will profoundly affect our lives and the lives of our children. Yet disaster seems so distant in space and time, and change is happening so slowly, that we hardly notice. We live in a state of partial attention as we go about the details of our lives. Sometimes we ask ourselves, well, what can we do?
Here is something we can do. We can focus our attention. We can become involved. We can exchange sounds and images to convey the places they describe, and with those sounds and images, we can exchange thoughts and ideas and feel emotional ties. Steven Feld's recordings of the Bosavi Rainforest in Papua New Guinea, for example, bring us into the place. Bernie Krause's recordings at Glacier Bay National Park, in Alaska, convey the richness of the wildlife. And it is moving to hear the song of the Kauai 'O'o, an extinct Hawaiian bird, and realize that it will never again be sung.
When we are involved, terms such as 'climate change' and 'habitat destruction' have immediate meaning. We understand the consequences of rising water levels, displaced populations, and species extinction, and how they will affect us and our children. And we better understand what is happening to us and what actions we would like to take.
So why are we doing this? To create a vehicle, an activity, and an opportunity to become involved.