Western’s Bertman presents Spring Science Seminar at LMC

Steve Bertman, Professor of Environment and Sustainability at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, will present the Spring Science Seminar, “Should the brewing industry be concerned about climate change?” from 12-1 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, in Room D-105 of the Main Building on Lake Michigan College’s Benton Harbor Campus.

Bertman will discuss how altering heat and water distribution patterns will impact changes in agriculture and the brewing industry. While breweries know that conserving resources and minimizing consumption makes good business sense, he will discuss how “sustainability” efforts in these industries primarily focus on resource management within the operation and how brewers can better plan for climate change.

Formally trained as a physical-organic chemist at Yale University, Bertman has studied the mechanisms and products of atmospheric reactions involving organic compounds and biosphere-atmosphere interactions in the forests of Northern Michigan since 1997. 

He was co-director of Bronco Biodiesel, a project working to recycle waste oils in Kalamazoo County, and he formed Western’s Sustainable Brewing Program in 2015. Bertman currently chairs Western’s Climate Change Working Group.

This seminar is free and open to the public.

For more information, email jbeck@lakemichigancollage.edu or call 269-695-2986.