The Agricultural Sustainability Institute will present the Bradford-Rominger award next week during a program with Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. President Ken Grossman as guest speaker.

Grossman

The Eric Bradford and Charlie Rominger Agricultural Sustainability Leadership Award honors people who have exhibited the leadership, work ethic and integrity epitomized by the late Eric Bradford, a livestock geneticist who gave 50 years of service to UC Davis, and the late Charlie Rominger, a fifth-generation Yolo County farmer and land preservationist.

The recipient’s name is secret until the ceremony, scheduled from 3 to 4:15 p.m. Monday (April 30) at the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center. The program is free and open to the public.

Grossman’s business is beer, of course, and his business has long been recognized for its sustainability practices — and when you put beer and sustainability together you get the title of his talk: “A Bottoms-Up Approach to Sustainability.”

“Our business practices have always aligned with sustainability, even before it was popular,” states the company’s 2010 sustainability report. “In the beginning, practicing environmental sustainability was an economic necessity. Reducing utility costs through energy and water conservation, recycling and reusing packaging materials, and reducing waste in every area of the company were essential since capital was limited.

“Over the years, the culture of resource conservation has grown alongside the company. Sustainability is not simply about saving the planet; it is about sustaining the environment, businesses and society.”

More about Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. sustainability practices.