We measure against the Goals
Every project is mapped to the specific Sustainable Development Goals it advances, and to a measurable outcome under each one. If we cannot name the measure, we have not defined the project yet.
Who we are
A small firm with a long reach.
Sea 2 Sky Solutions is a sustainability consulting and project development firm. We are deliberately small, and we work through a global network of operators, municipalities and technology partners rather than trying to be all of them ourselves.
Leadership
The people you will actually work with
SB
Steve Bender
Chief Executive Officer and Founder
Steve founded Sea 2 Sky Solutions to close the gap he kept running into: good environmental technology on one side, communities that needed it on the other, and nobody willing to do the unglamorous work of connecting the two. His background spans corporate leadership and nonprofit delivery, with particular depth in green building, affordable housing and tiny home programs, mobile healthcare clinics, and meal programs for vulnerable populations.
- Global Partnership Ambassador, United Nations Association of Orange County
- Chairman, United States Green Chamber of Commerce
- Chairman, Western North America Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group
- Member, Rotary Club of Newport Beach
MK
Marko Kärkkäinen
Sustainability and SDG Practice Lead
Marko brings three decades in the circular economy, recycling and waste management across multiple continents. He designs environmental solutions for municipalities, industry and marine ecosystems, with a particular focus on ocean preservation and on making recovery systems that survive contact with local economics. If a recycling scheme only works on paper, Marko is the person who will say so first.
Our commitment
What we hold ourselves to
The Sustainable Development Goals are not a badge on a website. They are a scoring system, and we use them as one.
We say no
We turn down work that is outside our competence, work that would not survive its own economics, and work where the technology has not been proven somewhere real. Saying no early is cheaper than everyone discovering it in year two.
We work through local people
Projects that arrive from outside and leave when the funding does are not solutions. Our role is to convene, structure and hand over, with local operators owning the result.
We are honest about cost
Environmental projects fail on economics far more often than on technology. We put the real number in front of you early, including the ones that make the project look worse.
We keep the same team on it
You will not meet senior people in the pitch and get junior people in delivery. The firm is small on purpose and the people you meet are the people who do the work.
We give capacity away
A defined share of our annual capacity goes to organizations that cannot pay for it, through the Pro Bono Program. It is a line in the plan, not whatever happens to be left over.
Our promise
What you can expect from an engagement
Consulting has a reputation problem, most of it earned. These are the specific things we commit to in writing.
A named principal on every engagement
One of the two of us is accountable for your project by name, from the first conversation through to handover. You always know who to call.
A written scope before any invoice
Deliverables, timeline and decision points are agreed in writing first. Change requests get quoted before they get built, not after.
Findings you can use without us
Every deliverable is written so your board, your council or your funder can act on it whether or not we stay involved. No dependency by design.
Introductions that are real
When we connect you to a partner, an operator or a funder, it is someone we have worked with and will vouch for, not a name from a list.
Where we work
Six locations, one team
Newport Beach, California
Headquarters. Ocean and coastal programs, US partnerships, United Nations Association and Rotary relationships.
Dallas, Texas
Conference and event delivery, media production through Sea 2 Sky Studios, and central US partnerships.
Mexico City, Mexico
Municipal waste and recovery programs, and Latin American partner development.
Bangkok, Thailand
Southeast Asian marine debris and plastics work, and regional industry relationships.
Taipei, Taiwan
Technology sourcing, manufacturing partnerships and circular economy supply chains.
Panama City, Panama
Central American programs and maritime corridor projects.