Blu Skye in the World

Systemic Change and the US Dairy Industry
August 13, 2010, 9 am PDT
Issues in Depth calls provide paid Net Impact members with the opportunity to interact with industry leaders about topics such as CSR, nonprofit management, international development, social entrepreneurship, cause marketing, and others. In this session Tripp Borstel, a consultant at Blu Skye and Erin Fitzgerald, Director of Social and Environmental Innovation at Dairy Management Inc. will discuss the story of the sustainability journey of the U.S. dairy industry and share some of the insights, challenges and lessons learned. Visit the Net Impact IID site to register.

Catalyzing big change in the Bay Area
June 11 -13, 2010
Julie Menter, a consultant at Blu Skye, designed and facilitated a 2-day conference in Mendocino where 85 Bay Area movers and shakers came together to learn, connect, innovate and mobilize for action. The summit, which followed an unconference (or open space) format, was organized in partnership with Net Impact San Francisco, IDSA and YWSE. Attendees identified and fleshed out 8 to 10 projects and are excited to move forward to implementation. Read about one participant's experience here.Visit the event website here and check back for info on GreenerMind Summit 2011.
GreenerMind Summit website

If You Don't Measure It, You Can't Manage It
April 14th, 2010
Tom Miller, CEO of Blu Skye; Yvon Chouinard, Co-founder, Patagonia; John Fleming, Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising Officer, Wal-Mart Stores, U.S. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.; and Lee Kranefuss, Chairman of the Board, iShares Funds, BlackRock, discuss Walmart's Sustainability Index and how it will work. Watch the video here.

Wal-Mart Reinvents Itself
April 12, 2010
Lee Scott, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors and former CEO Wal-Mart Stores in conversation with John Huey, Editor-in-Chief, Time Inc about Walmart’s sustainability journey, what they learned along the way, and how the company's rationale for "going green" was purely economic. Watch the video here.

By Matthew Savage
May 18th, 2010
"I recently interviewed Julie Menter, senior consultant at Blu Skye Sustainability Consulting. Blu Skye is a strategy consulting firm dedicated to introducing business to sustainable practices. She shared some great insights into the innovative, and sometimes misunderstood, world of Sustainability Consulting."

Read the full interview here.

April 22 - 23, 2010
On April 22nd, Earth Day, the Dairy Sustainability Council met with the USDA in Washington DC to take stock of successes and chart the path for the future. The USDA pledged $2 million to fund farm energy audits in 29 states. Watch the video below.

February 10th, 2010
Walmart Canada hosted a summit on sustainability, highlighting the very real business case for going green. Over 350 delegates gathered on February 10th at the Pan Pacific in downtown Vancouver, to collaborate across industry sectors, and accelerate the implementation of profitable, environmentally sustainable business practices.
Walmart Canada Green Business Summit website

What color is your supply chain? Sustainability: Green production = Greenbacks
February 16th, 2010

Sustainability...everybody is talking about it, but what does it really mean and more important what does it mean to YOU? It is NOT just about "organic cotton" and recycled materials. If implemented correctly, a sustainability strategy can help you improve your margins, speed up your cycle time, improve total quality and be environmentally friendly. In other words - Sustainability is a "For Profit Solution." Come hear from leading companies in this area share their strategies and success stories.

Moderated by:

Rick Horwitch, V.P., Bureau VERITAS

Panelists:

Caterina Conti, EVP and General Counsel

Anvil Knitwear Randy Harward, Quality Director, Patagonia Inc.

Leslie Oestreicher, BLU SKYE

Randy Rankin, V.P. CSR, Bureau Veritas
Sourcing at Magic Seminar Series website

January 29th, 2010
As the CEO of sustainable consulting firm Blu Skye Sustainability Consultants, Tom Miller oversees teams and strategies that are changing the way the world makes things--from the design stage and production process to the buyer's consumption and disposal. Find out what he says to companies that don't think sustainability is worth anything, how the gas from cows might revolutionize the dairy industry, and what we should all be working toward in the next two decades. Read the entire interview from the link below.
Interview with Tom Miller, CEO of Blu Skye Sustainability Consultants website

Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, Innovation Center for Dairy Sign Historic Agreement to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2020
December 15th 2009
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced an Memorandum of Understanding with U.S. dairy industry to work together to reach a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2020. USDA will do so by undertaking research initiatives, allowing implementation flexibility, and enhancing marketing efforts of anaerobic digesters to dairy producers. "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 Vilsack.
USDA Signs Agreement with Dairy Industry at COP15 website

October 29th - 30th, 2009
The Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy hosted the first Dairy Power Summit in Syracuse, NY, on October 29 and 30, 2009 to gain alignment on and commitment to making anaerobic digesters viable for farms of all sizes. Summit participants launched 17 projects and committed to have digesters process 40% of dairy manure by 2020.

June 1, 2008
The Innovation Center used Appreciative Inquiry to promote innovation and develop viable action plans. The first Sustainability Summit, held in June 2008, resulted in a portfolio of projects that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 12% and create business value of nearly $250 million.
2008 Dairy Sustainability Summit website