This paper explores both how and why composers in the twenty-first century have such an active engagement with the environment. Why is the place of music making so important right now? I propose that composition that intention- ally interacts with the environment changes the way we listen, deepens the listeners’ connection with the sonic material, and also activates our relationship to place. Furthermore, these compositions leave markers of cultural, social and environmental conditions at particular junctures in time. These considerations will be explored through an examination of six broad approaches to engaging with the environment in the making of sound-based art, some historical precedents with a focus on the Australian context, and then a look at some of my own site-specific projects.