Industry trade associations and professional bodies from around the globe are supporting World Refrigeration Day (WRD), which is being launched this year on June 26th to raise awareness and understanding of the significant role that refrigeration, air conditioning, and heat pump science play in modern living and society. Supporters of WRD include organizations from Africa, Australia, Europe, India, the Middle East, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Thailand, and the United States.
“Refrigeration is an important component of a safe and healthy society,” said Stephen Yurek, president and CEO of Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI). “From keeping medicines and food supplies safe to enabling a ready supply of fresh food choices regardless of geography, refrigeration is an often unheralded and yet vital technology for the modern world. America’s commercial refrigeration manufacturers join the world’s citizens in celebrating World Refrigeration Day.”
Well-known industry figure Stephen Gill, secretariat of WRD, admits that the idea of an industry day may not be new, but gaining the consensus for a fixed date from organizations and individuals from around the world certainly is.
“Refrigeration has such a long and fascinating history full of inventors, engineering pioneers, scientists, and industrial entrepreneurs from around the world all of whom deserve to be recognized and remembered for their valuable contribution,” said Gill. “With such a long and rich history, agreeing upon a date has proven to be challenging even at a national level, let alone an international one. However, the industry is united in its desire to raise its profile to the general public for all the right reasons and so we were able to build solidarity upon many common goals and finally agree on a date.”
The term ‘refrigeration’ is used in its widest sense as the process of achieving and maintaining a required temperature below that of its surroundings. An example of refrigeration is the preservation and distribution of perishable food products. Refrigeration systems are also used extensively for providing thermal comfort by means of air conditioning.
In February, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) OzonAction announced that it would be partnering with World Refrigeration Day to promote the celebration of WRD-2019 through the National Ozone Units in 147 developing economies.
June 26th, 2019 will be the inaugural day, but it is planned to be the first of an annual event. Indeed, discussions are already under way to make 2020 a week-long celebration. The aim of this first year has always been to get it launched and to start the process of raising awareness of the diversity of the industry. Any individual or organization wishing to be involved and support WRD should reach out to Stephen Gill at steve@worldrefrigerationday.org. Events and updates may be found at www.worldrefrigerationday.org, or through Twitter @worldrefday.
Publication date: 6/5/2019
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