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Bart Bartels
Project Manager, Sustainable Community Development Initiative,
Grand Valley State University
Location: Frederik Meijer Honors College at GVSU
The journey toward sustainability can often take many twists and turns. It surely did in Bart Bartels’ case. The former banker, mortgage lender and member of the Chicago Board of Trade didn’t agree with the direction the industry was headed, left the industry and followed his wife to the United Kingdom, where he became enamored by sustainability while serving as the University of Wales’ entrepreneurship champion. “The more I understood sustainability, the more I realized it was a benefit to all business. You can cut your costs and add benefit to the people involved and at the same time add a benefit to the environment.” After his wife got a visiting professorship at Grand Valley State University, Bartels began to explore his options, noticed a sign for the school’s sustainability initiative, and stopped in to find out more. Now, he’s working to facilitate cooperation across GVSU and the community at large for sustainably themed programs — everything from food to fuel, from wind to water. His role “just happened to be a match” for his interests. “I have a passion for working with the students to help them add something to their resumes that will help them stand out, and at the same time provide for the businesses in the region.”
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