Training communities worldwide to listen attentively to their local environments — because changing the way we listen changes the way we are in the world.
About the Program
The Community Environmental Listening (CEL) program is a new initiative of the Acoustic Ecology Lab, developed in partnership with environmental-listening.org. It brings AELab's deep expertise in acoustic ecology to communities beyond the university — equipping everyday people with the skills and frameworks to listen meaningfully to their local environments.
In a time of climate change, it is more important than ever to understand our place and role in the health of our environment. CEL holds a fundamental belief: changing the way we listen enables us to change the way we are in the world.
By learning to hear the biophony, geophony, and anthrophony of their local soundscapes, community members gain an intimate, real-time sense of ecological change — and a personal stake in environmental stewardship.
Explore environmental-listening.org ↗The Framework
CEL teaches participants to distinguish and attend to three fundamental sonic layers present in every environment.
The collective sound that vocalizing animals create in each given environment — birdsong, frog calls, insect stridulation, and the voices of all living creatures. Biophony is a primary indicator of ecological health and biodiversity.
Naturally occurring non-biological sounds coming from different types of habitats — wind through trees, running water, rain, thunder, and the geological voice of the landscape itself.
Any of the possible sonic components of a soundscape generated by humans — from traffic and machinery to music, speech, and the hum of infrastructure. Understanding anthrophony is key to managing its impact on other sonic layers.
Training
CEL training moves participants through three progressive listening modes, available through in-person sessions and online learning.
The starting point — simply sitting with your sonic environment without judgment or analysis. Becoming aware of what is present in the soundscape right now, without trying to categorize or interpret.
Focusing attention on specific sonic elements — a single bird call, the quality of wind, or a recurring human-made sound. Learning to isolate and attend to particular features of the soundscape.
Engaging deeply with the soundscape as a system — tracking change over time, noting relationships between sonic layers, and developing an interpretive understanding of what the soundscape reveals about ecological conditions.
Global Network
A central objective of the Community Environmental Listening initiative is to train community members to establish local meetup groups — in their neighborhoods, parks, and natural areas — that gather regularly to listen and observe.
These groups form nodes in a growing global network of environmental listeners, contributing to a shared understanding of how local soundscapes are changing in response to climate, development, and ecological shifts.
Individual action within communal frameworks is a powerful catalyst for environmental stewardship. When communities listen together, they notice together — and when they notice together, they act together.
AELab Connection
The Community Environmental Listening program builds directly on AELab's decade of research in acoustic ecology, community soundwalks, field recording, and environmental monitoring. The lab's work with the Listen(n) Project, EcoSonic, and field recording programs provides the scientific and artistic foundation for CEL's community training curriculum.
AELab's existing Weekly Soundwalk program serves as a local model for what a structured community listening practice looks like — and CEL scales that model to a global ambition.
For more information about how the Acoustic Ecology Lab's research informs this program, see our About page or explore the full programs list.
Whether you want to start a local listening group, participate in training, or partner with AELab on this initiative, we'd love to hear from you.