Countless planets, countless solar systems, and Earth is the only place we've found suited to us. That's pretty amazing. And it's not very big - just 38.624 kilometers (24,902 miles) around the equator. To put it in perspective: You can fly from one side of the planet to the other in about a day.

　　Looking at Earth from space, astronauts can see mankind's influence. Not only are the Great Wall of China and Pyramids visible from space, but so are cities, airports, roadways, dams and ocean-going tankers. Airplanes and satellites can be seen circling the planet, too.

　　We are, in effect, making the world smaller - through technology and population growth and as a result of actions that adversely impact the earth by diminishing our natural resources and contributing to phenomena such as global warming.

　　All of which is why it's great to see the specialty graphics community taking steps to use less energy, to tap renewable energy resources and to establish production methods that are safe for employees and less hazardous to the environment. Reduced waste and efficient inventory management are saving valuable resources. The specialty graphics community is actively developing technologies and business practices that will contribute to our future success while acting responsibly in light of our ecological challenges:

　　Inks manufactured from corn, soy and other renewable resources are gaining a foothold in the marketplace.
Curing technologies, such as UV and LED, reduce energy consumption as they also increase production efficiency.
Filtration systems that eliminate contaminates from pre and post screen printing processes are readily available.
Digital imaging equipment manufacturers are increasingly including air filtration with their output devices. (As a small step, SGIA established the Air Quality Initiative to increase air filtration on the SGIA Expo floor.)