Optimum Seismic Sponsors Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce Sustainability Awards Ceremony

LOS ANGELES, May 7, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Optimum Seismic, Southern California's leading seismic retrofit company, was a proud sponsor of the Santa Monica Chamber of Commerce's 23rd Annual Sustainability Quality Awards Ceremony, held April 26 at Le Meridien Delfina Hotel.

The Annual Sustainability Awards recognize businesses in the Santa Monica area that are successfully putting sustainable business practices into action. Grand prizes are given to businesses that excel in the areas of sustainable economic development, social responsibility, and stewardship of the natural environment. Excellence awards are given to outstanding achievements in any one or two of the three categories.

"Santa Monica is one of the handful of chambers to have been green-certified in the U.S., and we have been promoting the subject of sustainability through our annual awards ceremonies for the last 23 years," said Executive Director Laurel Rosen.

This year's grand prize was awarded to Pluralistic School 1, an independent, nonprofit, non-graded elementary school that demonstrates environmental awareness, social responsibility and stewardship for its students and the community. Excellence Awards winners were: Arthur Murray Dance Center and Global Green for Excellence in Social Responsibility; Groundwork Coffee LLC for Excellence in Economic Development and Stewardship of the Environment; and Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica for Excellence in Stewardship of the Environment.

"At PS1 we believe that one size does not fit all," said Joel Pelcyger, head of PS1, "It's important to build human sustainability to address the larger issue of inequity which can be addressed through our public and private schools."

Optimum Seismic Principal Ali Sahabi, a longtime leader in sustainability, spoke at the event specifically addressing the connection between seismic resiliency and sustainability. "If a building cannot stand after a seismic event," he said, "how does its being green or the most energy-efficient structure really contribute to the goals of sustainability?"

Sahabi has been a trailblazer in sustainability, awarded the 2009 California Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award for his role as the developer of the mixed-use community of Dos Lagos in Corona, California. He also endowed U.C. Riverside's Center for Sustainable Suburban Development, and has been involved in many renewable energy projects throughout his career.

The SQA received over 50 business nominations and more than 300 people attended the awards ceremony.

About Optimum Seismic
Optimum Seismic, Inc., is Southern California's leading retrofit company for earthquake retrofit engineering and construction, specializing in multifamily and commercial buildings. Since 1984, the team at Optimum Seismic has completed more than 2,500 retrofits throughout the state of California. For information, visit http://www.optimumseismic.com.

SOURCE Optimum Seismic