It was great to meet up with Cary Norsworthy at Internoise2019 in Madrid a few weeks ago. Her passion about the sound environment is driven from her own experiences and her curiosity to learn more about noise, acoustics and soundproofing – and share this with others.
She not only is doing a great job raising awareness about the importance of a good sound environment but also making sure there are tools to empower more people to take control of theír own sound environments.
On a mission:
She began with a blog in 2009, “Soundproofing for Urban People,” which was a collection of noise-reduction hacks. As she explained,
I’d moved into an apartment that was like living in an acoustic guitar. Even the smallest sounds traveled from one apartment to another. It took a long time to convince my neighbors that we could actually do something about it.
She began researching products and techniques that could reduce sound transmission, experimenting with sound-dampening products and writing about the results.
I was on a limited budget,
she explained,
so after awhile, I started writing commentary about videos that I found on YouTube instead — like different types of insulation, drywall, and ceilings with resilient channels.
Her efforts led to a much quieter environment in her building and raised awareness among do-it-yourselfers about materials like sound-reducing drywall and viscoelastic damping compounds.
In 2018 she got the idea to launch “Soundproofist,” a new blog and podcast about noise and acoustics issues.
I wanted to dig into more noise-related issues and talk to experts. By starting a podcast, I can reach more people.
The first podcast episode tackled restaurant noise.
This is not a hard problem to solve,
she explained.
Sound-absorbing products come in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
And change will come if customers can persuade restaurant owners to make some modifications. In short, we need to become noise activists.
Prolonged exposure to noise is harmful to us, but it doesn’t have to be this way. We have options and solutions, whether the noise is within our own walls or in the urban environment. Soundproofist is on a mission by taking a collaborative approach to empower everyone to solve everyday noise issues.
Empowering all of us to become noise activists:
Cary recently produced the first noise activist toolkit, which can help you address a few common noise situations and help you put together effective resources.
The toolkit covers the following commonly experienced noise issues:
- Neighbours – loud TVs, dogs barking or loud overhead footsteps on hard floors
- Leaf blowers – can be really noisy and dirty however quieter and more environmentally friendly versions are available
- Construction – jackhammers, backup beeps, and forklifts 6 days a week
- Workplace – open-office spaces, the noise from your coworkers or equipment noise could be distracting or even dangerous
- Restaurant – a new restaurant may have rave reviews for its food. But be so loud that you struggle to hear your companion (s) and can’t wait to leave
Learn how you can take action.
Read more about this practical noise activist toolkit here
