Home Is Where the Hammer Hits —Cagle

SAY WHAT you will about how these times are a-changing for the worse. Environmental and social consciousness seems to be at an all-time high. . .perhaps because our planet and its inhabitants are in such rough shape. So maybe the opening statement is true.

The Green Scene, one of our newest departments, documents the efforts of printers and suppliers to implement initiatives that conserve resources and unburden the environment. It has quickly become the most popular subject of press releases that we currently receive.

Coming in a close second is the philanthropic efforts of our industry amigos. In case you missed it, we ran a great story on page 94 of the December 2007 issue titled “The Gift of Giving,” which chronicled some of the many charitable acts and programs that benefit local communities, as well as needy folks the world over.

The stories keep streaming in. At the conclusion of the Digital Solutions Cooperative (Dscoop)—the HP users group—conference in San Diego, several members participated in Corazón’s “Build a House in a Day” construction project.

A group of HP customers, executives and partners traveled to Tecate, Mexico, to build homes for impoverished families under the guidance of Corazón’s leaders. Dscoop attendees worked alongside families in the Corazón project to build new homes from breaking ground to completion in one day.

Established in 1978 as an all- volunteer relief organization, Corazón began constructing complete homes in 1995. Since then, 30,000-plus U.S. volunteers have completed more than 950 projects.

“The project brought the Dscoop conference attendees together to make a difference in Tecate and in the lives of the families that received the new homes,” said Francis McMahon, director of marketing for HP’s U.S. graphic arts organization, in a statement.

For the participants, the experience was equally as rewarding.

“While it was heartbreaking to see the conditions people were living in, it was just as heartwarming that Dscoop as a group was able to make a difference in a couple of families’ lives,” added Jack Glacken, Dscoop’s immediate past chairman and co-owner of Philadelphia-based Today’s Graphics. “We left at 5:30 a.m. and did not return until 8 p.m., and the experience was absolutely worth every second of the time.”