Natural silence is a pristine and commonplace occurrance most Americans take for granted, and unfortunately it is fast-disappearing, even in our National Parks and conservation areas. Emmy-winning acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton, has made it his mission to record and preserve natural silence in all its variety, before these locales of environmental quiet vanish completely into the rising tide of man-made noise. Making a road trip across the continent, Hempton gathers his sound equipment, and scuttles off in search of ecological regions throughout the country where no audible human noise can be detected for a span of 15 miuntes. One Square Inch of Silence recounts his quest while alerting us to the beauty we take for granted along the way. Hempton sounds an urgent environmental alarm and makes a convincing case for the preservation of natural silence.
