Let us examine each segment of the phrase; health, wealth and happiness. Health is the general condition of a person in the mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain. This can be greatly affected by poverty, starvation and catastrophe either natural or manmade.

Wealth is the abundance of materials or possessions. From an economic viewpoint it is the net worth of a person, household, or nation thereby taking into consideration all assets and liabilities that are accountable to that source. But according to the Roman poet Virgil; "The greatest wealth is health."

Happiness is more difficult to describe as it can mean different things to different people. Certainly wealth does not of itself buy or achieve happiness. Health can be a majority contributor to happiness either good or bad. It can be pleasure (tasty foods, warm baths, etc.), relationships through social connections and accomplishments by realising personal goals.

Perhaps the statement made by the UK Environment Minister Lord Henley is pertinent: "Our wildlife is vital to our health, wealth and happiness and not simply window-dressing, but for too long we've taken it for granted." If this is true, how is it addressed? There needs to be some form of accounting that is totally over-reaching. Environmental assets are not usually counted in measuring wealth, in part due to the difficulty of the valuation of their public good. Environmental accounting is a method for formulating and deriving such a means of measurement on the basis of its impact upon the total environment both living and inert.

"The greatest wealth is health"

This sounds very esoteric and not applicable to the printer. It is very relevant. I will remind you of Virgil's quote; "The greatest wealth is health," and the health of the printer and his/her dependents are greatly affected on how we treat the environment. Do we misuse the natural resources by perpetuating the throw-away society? Do we in our pursuit of wealth create a manmade catastrophe such as happened in the Gulf of Mexico? While the printer may not be directly involved in either of those activities it is highly probable that the printer obtains an indirect monetary advantage by using the products of those activities. Long term such activities are not sustainable.

What can the printer do to achieve environmental health, wealth and happiness? Firstly, it is important to recognise what the printer has already achieved. The switch to UV curing inks has radically reduced the level of potential greenhouse gases. The chemicals present in printing inks and ancillary products are far safer than in years past. Lead pigments. Michler's Ketone, n-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone and similar chemicals are no longer used thereby improving the health of printers. The use of programmable scales for colour-matching; in-house distillation of dirty solvents; re-usable cleaning wipes has reduced wastage. By reducing wastage it has automatically had a positive effect on minimising the adverse impact on the earth's resources.

"easily adopted...with minimum capital outlay"

What else can be achieved? There have been considerable advances in the control of deforestation through the programs being run by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). Printers need to examine whether it is possible to adopt these benefits especially if there is a marketing advantage that could be utilised. Developments have also taken place with other forms of substrates to reduce adverse environmental impact. There are several methods of reducing energy consumption and these can easily be adopted within the printing environment with minimum capital outlay. There are many others.

The efforts of the printer to improve the environment's health, wealth and happiness can be totally encompassed in the term sustainability. Sustainability is the capacity to endure. It is to endure on the earth's resources not just for today but for future generations. This is a massive challenge for all the world's population, fauna and flora with its conflicting needs and ambitions. It is a challenge that has to be met. For many printers in this current economic climate survival is the critical issue. However, it should always be remembered that the major requirement of any environmental programme is the reduction of waste and resources. Both of these are costly debits to the company's accounts.

Most small and many medium sized companies do not have the necessary expertise to maximise the benefits of a sustainable company policy. There are two ways to address this omission. FESPA members can have free access to its Planet Friendly Guide which gives practical advice and solutions to support a sustainable policy. Alternatively, FESPA are running a Sustainability forum and clinics at FESPA Digital 21 - 24 February 2012. There will be experts in many fields who will be glad to offer assistance on environmental topics that are important to you.