Green | It's More Than a Color

Published: September 01, 2010, By By Yolanda Simonsis

There's more than just a few idiomatic phrases in the English language associated with the color green. For starters, think of what it means to be green with envy. Or have you ever been on the receiving end of a comment accusing you of being a greenhorn? Then there's the ever-popular aspiration of collecting enough greenbacks to retire from this rat race.

Now that I've led you down this green pathway, there's yet another phrase that's popular (maybe even a little overused) in the consumer and industrial world. It has many confused and yet others annoyed — that's the environmental call to “be green.”

One reader once wrote to me that he was tired of all this “green talk” because the only reason he felt there was a necessity to be green at all was if there was a cost advantage associated with it. I see his point — although I really do think that everyone has a responsibility to this planet to preserve its resources for the generations that follow us (hopefully millions more), so they also can survive here. That being said, it's my opinion — spoken as someone who is anything but a greenhorn — that for businesses to adopt green practices willingly and effectively at the outset of this effort, they will be successful only if they are driven by the economics of “being green.”

Take a look at what PFFC has to offer from our green (literally) cover and contents (p2) pages. This issue is virtually “littered” (sorry, I couldn't help it) with feature articles and new technology to help your business select products that serve to save money while allowing you to act in a responsible, earth-friendlier manner.

When I attended the Flexographic Technical Assn.'s May 2-5 Annual Forum and INFO*FLEX Exhibition and learned of Fisher & Krecke's acceptance of the event's Technical Innovation Award winner, I couldn't help lusting after an article (as any true reporter would) detailing the implementation of F&K's smartGPS flexographic print startup technology. Go to p28 and you'll learn how Hood Packaging, as the first North American installation, has invested in smartGPS technology to contribute to its sustainability commitment, delivering the payback the converter anticipated while consistently achieving what VP of sales and marketing Paul Gage calls “the highest quality graphics.”

On a personal and green note, this past week I was privileged to be among a panel of judges for the HP Indigo Digital & Packaging Awards Contest in Nes Ziona, Israel. Digital printing — claimed inherently sustainable from a number of aspects — includes the elimination of startup waste as only one very obvious advantage. As I toured the countryside of this beautiful, ancient land, I was struck by the contrast of old and new. On practically every residence and business rooftop, you can find solar panels that provide free energy for hot water. Granted, they have 320 days of sunshine per year, but any additional energy generated can be sold at a profit for use on the electrical power grid. Where there's a will, there's a way to “be green.”

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