Record the Sounds of Our Planet for Earth Day

It’s Earth Day, everyone! That means that today, out of all the days in the year that our giant, natural spaceship graciously turns us to face the sun and makes our entire existence possible, we will give a little back and try to do something nice for the Earth. If you’re looking for a way to pitch in, you can help document the fleeting sounds of our planet.

The project, called Global Soundscapes, is run by Dr. Bryan Pijanowski of Purdue University. Pijanowski is a rainforest soundscaper who usually spends his time recording the sounds of remote locations of the planet. Usually, we all spend Earth Day trying to fix the fact that too many things we make hang around forever in landfills, but the sounds of the Earth are gone as quickly as they’re made.

So, Pijanowski has launched a project for us all to help preserve the sounds of the Earth just like we try to redouble our efforts to preserve the rest of nature every year on April 22. There’s an iOS and Android App for Global Soundscapes that will allow you to record the sounds of your own location to give an audio picture of the world that includes more than just the distant places Pijanowski frequents.

Then, you can upload and share what you’ve recorded with the world. The Global Soundscapes website already has a bunch of soundscapes you can listen to, and they’re hoping to create an audio picture of the world not just today, but every year on Earth Day. That way, they can analyze the way the sounds of our planet change over time, but they can only do it with your help.

So, take some time in between planting trees and recycling things today to sit back, relax, and record what your world sounds like. You are doing all of those things today, right? The Earth only asks for one day a year, you guys.

(via Gizmodo, image via Global Soundscapes on YouTube)

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