Since my father passed away last May, many have asked me what my environmental legacy will be. I know they ask because the mark left by my father, Sam Johnson, was such a profound and enduring one.

Dad’s legacy of business leadership is unsurpassed. From his decision to voluntarily and unilaterally stop using CFCs three years before the U.S. ban, to his introduction of innovative new products including Raid®, Glade® and Pledge®, to his role as a founding member of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, Dad proved that business can be successful while being caring and responsible.

When my dad famously said we should not worry about whether we live up to the expectations of our fathers, but rather we as fathers should live up to the expectations of our children, he offered the purest case for sustainability. And for me, sustainability is personified by my child. It is for all the children of the world that SC Johnson makes business choices that will leave the world a better place.

That’s why we installed cogeneration turbines at our largest manufacturing plant, which is helping us achieve a 10 percent reduction in fossil fuel use at our top factories by the end of 2005. It’s why using our Greenlist™ environmental classification system we have phased out chlorine-based external packaging and removed more than 10 million pounds of VOCs from our environmental footprint. It’s why we are using new business models to tackle insect-borne diseases in areas where people, especially children, need protection most.

People are right to ask what my legacy will be. It is a question that every responsible business leader must ask. But we should not focus solely on what we will leave behind three or four decades from now. Our attention is most needed on the decisions being made today.

So SC Johnson is continuing to lead the way with responsible raw material choices and innovative energy reduction. We are discovering more new ways to improve people’s lives and protect public health. We remain dedicated to operating in a way that is successful, caring and responsible.

This is the important legacy of all the 12,000 people of SC Johnson around the world. It is our greatest business advantage, our strongest value and our most important gift to all children.