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Comstock joins World Refrigeration Day

UK: Former ASHRAE stalwart Steve Comstock has joined the World Refrigeration Day secretariat, as plans are announced to extend celebrations to a fortnight in 2021.

Comstock joins World Refrigeration Day (WRD) as head of special initiatives following his retirement from ASHRAE after 46 years with the US association.

He was best known for many years as publisher responsible for ASHRAE’s global publishing, marketing, and communications efforts in the environmental control field. He has reported extensively on building and process control technologies, identifying how applications of technology impact everyday life, and he has transitioned traditional publishing and educational resources to digital platforms.

Prior to his retirement he was head of business development at the association’s Brussels office and directing its ACR training centre in Dubai.

A delighted Steve Gill, founder of World Refrigeration Day and secretariat head, said: “We are pleased to have the benefit of Steve Comstock’s experience in drawing attention to the wonderful engineering and science that surrounds us every day.”

World Refrigeration Day is a global event celebrated by one million engineers, technicians, installers, and companies. It was initiated in 2019 as an international awareness campaign to raise the profile of the refrigeration, air conditioning and heat pump sector and focus attention on the significant role that the industry and its technology play in modern life and society. Celebrated on 26 June each year, the WRD secretariat launches an annual initiative with United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) through its OzonAction programme to draw attention to a specific public benefit of cooling technology in developing countries.

Two-week event

It has also been announced that next year’s WRD celebration will be extended to a fortnight – one week either side of June 26. It will focus on the individual contributions that men and women make globally in the field and how the industry can better attract young people to pursue a career in the sector. 

WRD will continue its partnership with UNEP in designing and launching special relevant campaigns to support refrigeration and air conditioning in developing countries.

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