When you finish reading this edition of Sustainable Land Development Today (SLDT), just flip it over and you will find yourself looking at our quarterly publication, Sustainable Urban Redevelopment (SUR).

It’s no mistake. It’s a metaphor. Our industry has gone topsy-turvy, so why not go with the flow? Why not find a way to add value to our publications in a down market and give you two magazines in one?! With all the challenges facing print publications and the rest of the economy, we’re finding ways to make it work here at Sustainable Land Development International. In the standoff between rising costs and a downturn in revenue, we got imaginative and found ways to convey our information to you in a different way.

Don’t misunderstand. This is in no way making light of a tough situation. We’re in this economic debacle with you and we, like you, intend to survive and come out in one piece on the other side of it. To do that, we need to be innovative, look at cost containment near term, while positioning ourselves for growth long term. A stockade mentality can be crippling. Counting paper clips and switching off unused lights may save a few dollars, but finding ways to continue to operate with as little disruption as possible is critical. Maintaining the quality of our publications is critical.

We take a great deal of pride in sharing ideas about important issues related to sustainability. Our message of balancing the needs of people, planet and profit has to be repeated again and again. It has to be readdressed and presented in different ways. It has to be proven through case studies and third-party ­observations. The path to sustainability needs to be charted with the products and services available to you. That means getting these magazines ­delivered, and in this quarter, you’re ­getting a double dose of sustainable information.

It would be so easy to hunker down, hope these troubled times pass and wait for a brighter tomorrow. Rather, we take note of the Chinese characters for the word “crisis.” There are two. One means “challenge” and the other “opportunity.” The challenges are apparent, but it takes some discovery to find the opportunities. That is the course we have set.

I hope you enjoy this special issue. It’s one way we’re making it work.

Rob Kundert, Senior Editor