Ecologists and careful listeners to the natural world have shown how the soundscapes of intact ecosystems mimic orchestral arrangements. Over millennia, a landscape’s creatures have learned how to fit into their surroundings – knowing exactly when to chirp to be heard; knowing exactly when to be quiet. The result is a symphony of sounds, carefully layered – a coherence of place.

Today, as humanity’s footprint on Earth’s natural systems is larger than at any point in history, we are witnessing breakdowns in this orchestral arrangement – both globally and locally, both literally and metaphorically.

At the Tahoe Earth Institute, we see opportunity to usher in a deepened sense of place. To approach sustainability challenges from the ground up, developing theories of change that simultaneously center community thriving and ecological resilience. To cultivate regional, land-based, regenerative economies. To strengthen a sense of ecological belonging through public engagement and storytelling. To spark new ways of thinking about how we engage with – and steward – our environments.