The courage
to begin.
In the beginning, there was one client and one consultant. Over the years, Blu Skye has grown. We are now a team of consultants with a history of achievement, a history we'd like to share with you.
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Jib Ellison explores rivers in the Soviet Union – the first American to do so. He starts an NGO, Project RAFT, Russians and Americans For Teamwork.
1986
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1995
Jib is founding partner of corporate strategy execution company, The Trium Group.
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Jib sees a Natural Step presentation; performs pro bono work for Executive Director; partners with Natural Step for Home Depot CEO, Arthur Blank. Is hooked by the idea that sustainability is the single biggest form of competitive advantage in the 21st century.
1999
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2004
Jib Ellison meets Walmart CEO, H. Lee Scott; Scott hires Blu Skye to help Walmart; a consulting firm is born. His raft is stored in a shed.
Walmart chooses to take Jib’s idea seriously and embarks on developing a strategy.
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Clients: Walmart
Lee Scott delivers 21st Century Leadership speech, declaring Walmart’s commitment to sustainability.
2005
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2006
Clients: Environmental Defense Fund, PSC, Sonoma County Water Authority, Walmart
Lee Scott on cover of Fortune under the headline “Wal-Mart Saves the Planet.”
Earth to Earth Summit: Members of the entire supply chain, leading textile NGOs, academics and farmers came together for 2 days to align on the future of sustainable cotton. Based on the outcomes, by 2007 this initiative had created the first ever high volume “field to shelf” global supply chain of sustainable fiber in the U.S. market.
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Clients: American Greetings, Anderson Merchandisers, Bunge Ltd, Burt's Bees, Consumer Electronics Association, Dairy Management Inc., Hilton Hotels, Mars, PSC, Sony Pictures, University of Arkansas, Walmart, Waste Management
Walmart unveils ‘Sustainability 360’ effort.
Blu Skye opens San Francisco Presidio office.
2007
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2008
Clients: Anderson Merchandisers, Aramark Uniform Services, Dairy Management Inc., Hilton Hotels, Magazine Publishers of America, Microsoft, Paramount, Rockwell Automation, Sony Pictures, University of Arkansas, Walmart, Waste Management
Blu Skye outgrows Presidio office and moves SF headquarters to 1620 Montgomery, its current home.
Jib and Dave give a presentation to Jim Pattison Group’s executive retreat and stay at Frank Sinatra’s house in Palm Springs.
Hilton Hotels announces short and long term sustainability goals around energy, CO2, waste and water.
Dairy Sustainability Summit: brought the industry together to reduce the carbon footprint of milk while increasing business value. The summit opened up opportunities for action that no single player could have contemplated alone and ensured that the proposed solutions would have industry-wide support.
Sustainability Index Summit: convened a community of over 150 stakeholders to shape the Sustainability Index, formally launched in 2009.
Walmart Sustainability Summit in Beijing: Walmart makes a bold statement about responsible sourcing requirements from suppliers and a vision for achieving its sustainability goals.
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Clients: City of Cleveland, Dairy Management Inc., Microsoft, Sony Pictures, The Nature Conservancy, Walmart, Waste Management, WellPoint
US Dairy industry announces goals to reduce GHG emissions and unveils Roadmap to get there.
Blu Skye hosts Confluence, bringing together interesting people for a couple days of dreaming of the future on the Tuolumne River in Northern California.
The Sustainability Consortium, a collaboration of corporations, NGOs, and government officials formed to establish the science behind the Sustainability Index, launches.
Jib leaves Blu Skye for a trip around the world with his family; Tom Miller steps in as CEO.
New York state convenes Dairy Power Summit to make methane digesters in NYS a reality.
Walmart launches Supplier Sustainability Assessment questionnaire – 15 questions to kick off a journey toward radical transparency and sustainability leadership – a Sustainability Index.
USDA signs agreement with the Innovation Center for US Dairy to cut GHG emissions from dairy. “This historic agreement, the first of its kind, will help us achieve the ambitious goal of drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions while benefitting dairy farmers,” said Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack.
2009
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2010
Clients: Conservation International, Dairy Management Inc., Microsoft, NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association), Nike, Sustainable Apparel Coalition, The Nature Conservancy, Purina, Walmart, Waste Management
Walmart Canada hosts Green Business Summit to inspire sustainable business leadership and collaboration.
Tom Miller talks about the future of the Sustainability Index at Fortune Brainstorm Green.
Jib returns from his odyssey with the insight that capitalism must evolve to include externalities and that to do so is in the interest of the captains of industry.
University of Arkansas’ Applied Sustainability Center completes a milk carbon footprint study, the first of its kind in the US.
Staples announces sustainability strategy to engage suppliers in a Race to the Top.
Walmart announces commitment to sustainable agriculture.
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Clients: Anderson Merchandisers, Microsoft, Purina, Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Walmart
Walmart announces healthy foods initiative, a collaboration with Michelle Obama.
Sustainable Apparel Coalition goes public, announcing an industry-wide effort to develop the first prototype of a product level Sustainability Index.
Jib discusses employee engagement at Fortune Brainstorm Green.
Force of Nature, by Edward Humes is published.
2011
