ASHRAE has received the prestigious Partnership Award from the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UN Environment) Ozone Secretariat for its extraordinary commitment and contribution to the progress and achievements of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

The Partnership Award recognizes the work of civil society and other international organizations that have played a critical role in the development of the Kigali Amendment and/or implementation of the Montreal Protocol.

“We could not be more pleased to have earned this recognition. Receiving the Partnership Award is a great honor and acknowledgment of the tireless work ASHRAE and our members are doing to support the phase-out activities of ozone-depleting substances around the world,” said 2017-2018 ASHRAE President Bjarne W. Olesen, Ph.D. “We are proud to be a part of this initiative and look forward to continuing our partnership with UN Environment as we work toward a more sustainable built environment.”

“I congratulate ASHRAE for this well-deserved award honoring its exceptional efforts to support the advancement of technologies which help protect the ozone layer,” said Tina Birmpili, head of the Ozone Secretariat. We appreciate the organization’s dedication to the Montreal Protocol and its contribution to the success of the treaty.”

The Montreal Protocol, signed in 1987, is an international agreement designed to substantially reduce emissions of substances that deplete the stratospheric ozone layer. According to UN Environment, it has led to the phase-out of nearly 100 ozone-depleting chemicals and significantly contributed to climate change mitigation.

Through ASHRAE’s more than 56,000 members in more than 100 countries, the society has mobilized its resources to develop, implement, and support UN Environment and Montreal Protocol projects.

ASHRAE and UN Environment recently launched a work plan titled, “Working Beyond High Global Warning Potential (GWP) Refrigerants.” It is the organizations’ fifth joint biennial work plan and an example of ASHRAE’s ongoing dedication to promote the Montreal Protocol.

In addition, ASHRAE is collaborating with the Air-Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in a $5.2 million joint research project designed to establish a more robust fact base about the properties and use of flammable refrigerants, which also will help update international standards.

Publication date: 1/3/2018

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