We are so proud and honored to announce that LightHouse Sirkin Center, our social enterprise dedicated to furthering the employment opportunities for people who are blind or have low vision, has been recently named one of the U.S Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Safer Choice Partners of the Year for 2021.
The team at Lighthouse Sirkin Center have broken records over the past 18 months with their tireless work throughout the pandemic. LightHouse had record sales for its Safer Choice-certified products in 2020 and in the same year was awarded a contract to supply the entire United States Navy Fleet with two of its Skillcraft Safer Choice-certified products. LightHouse also partnered with NIB, a federal agency which organizes government contracts for nonprofits who employ blind workers to sell its Safer Choice-certified line to federal agencies across the United States.
Now our staff has been nationally recognized by the EPA as an “outstanding Safer Choice formulator-product manufacturer” of products with ingredients or chemicals that are safer for families, pets, workplaces, communities, and the environment. They are in grand company along with Apple, Home Depot and the Procter & Gamble Company.
The EPA Safer Choice program helps consumers and purchasers for facilities, such as schools and office buildings find products that perform and are safer for human health and the environment.
From our state-of-the-art brand-new facility in Alameda, LightHouse Industries is a social enterprise dedicated to increasing the participation of people who are blind or have low vision in the workforce. 90% of all direct labor in producing LightHouse’s Safer Choice products is provided by blind workers.
Through LightHouse Industries, jobs and experience are gained in many areas, including chemical manufacturing, chemical blending, and quality assurance and control. In this way, pathways have been developed for blind employees to become future blind leaders, scientists and skilled tradespeople.
Bryan Bashin, LightHouse CEO, says:
“The recent EPA award is a great acknowledgement that blind people can design, produce and distribute industry-leading environmentally-safe products that benefit all people. Businesses and governments who use older and more-toxic formulations can do a double service by switching to Lighthouse products, improving the environment and supporting blindness services at the same time.”
Assistant Administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention Michal Freedhoff says:
“I’m excited to see that the work done by many of this year’s awardees support the Biden-Harris Administration’s goals of addressing climate change and advancing environmental justice.”
Congratulations to everybody at LightHouse Sirkin Center and thank you to the EPA for its recognition of this outstanding team effort.
For Safer Choice product sales inquiries, contact Product Manager Al Ahlm: AAhlm@lighthouse-sf.org or phone: 916-825-7491
