Don’t We Deserve a Day to Recognize Refrigeration?
A named national day could help boost our industry’s image and profile
I often tell people that refrigeration is a “hidden” industry. It’s global, and it’s vitally important in many areas of human life, from keeping our food fresh and safe to helping in the manufacture and preservation of lifesaving pharmaceuticals, to simply giving us the opportunity to enjoy a glass of iced tea or a cold beer on a hot summer day. Yet most people never think about it. They expect refrigerator and freezer cases in their local stores to keep their food cold. They expect miracles of science. Humans are a tough crowd.
Generally, that’s fine. Most people I’ve met in this industry are too busy and modest to blow their own horns and are happy to fly under the radar. They know who they are and they know what they do is important. And they’re appreciated by the people who matter most — their clients.
Yet it would be nice to see our industry get a little recognition, wouldn’t it? I mean, it’s too easy for the general population to see refrigerants being accused of destroying the ozone layer and contributing to climate change, and not very easy for them to think of all the good things our industry does for their lives.
Plus, putting some positives out there might help our industry become more interesting and attractive to the younger generations that it needs to fulfill its myriad roles and responsibilities in the future.
So, how about a National Refrigeration Day? I searched all the national days and could only find one that is refrigeration related: November 15 is National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day. Bah. We need something better than that, something that would give all of us a reason to work with local and national media to get the word out about this great industry.
Here are a couple of links for more information and to nominate a National Refrigeration Day. I’m going to suggest October 3, the birthday of John Gorrie, who is generally acclaimed as the father of refrigeration (although refrigeration history buffs also could make compelling cases for Oliver Evans or Jacob Perkins).
http://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/register-a-national-day/
Looking for quick answers on air conditioning, heating and refrigeration topics? Try Ask ACHR NEWS, our new smart AI search tool. Ask ACHR NEWS
http://www.national-awareness-days.com/starting-your-day.html
Let’s let the official national day namers hear from us! And if you’re not sure that refrigeration deserves its own day, consider these other official days or months, which I am not making up:
• National Waffle Day.
• National Whiskey Sour Day.
• Draw a Picture of Bird Day.
• Walk Around Things Day (I could not find its obvious counterpart, Walk Into Things Day.).
• Button Day.
• National I Love Lucy Day.
• National Heimlich Maneuver Day (images of very odd observances of this day come to mind).
• Lost Sock Memorial Day.
• August is Romance Awareness Month (I’ll bet you wish you had known that last month — you’d better mark the calendar for next year.).
Finally, I had to check a couple of key dates. My wife’s birthday is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day, which is a pretty good one. My birthday — and again, I promise I am not making this up — is Help a Horse Day.
So let’s get the ball rolling for a National Refrigeration Day. I’ll send in my nomination form as soon as I get done figuring out what type of help horses need.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
