How grocery stores can help protect the climate » Yale Climate Connections

TRANSCRIPT:

At supermarkets, fridges, freezers, and cooling cases connected by miles of piping help keep food fresh. Skilled technicians keep those systems running smoothly.

And those workers can play a critical role in helping supermarkets reduce their climate impact.

Vanzo: “Refrigeration has been identified as one of the leading global opportunities to address climate change and reduce emissions.”

Morgan Vanzo of the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council says most fridges and freezers use refrigerants called HFCs. They’re potent global warming gases.

There are alternatives to HFCs that are better for the climate. But she says to make the switch, a store must replace its entire system.

Vanzo: “And it requires a robust workforce that’s ready to not only install these systems but service them.”

She says refrigeration technicians are already in high demand – and there are few who are trained in these more sustainable technologies.

So her group works with community colleges and trade schools to help recruit more people into the field – and offers workshops and trainings to prepare technicians to work with less polluting systems.

So they can help supermarkets transition to a climate-friendly future.

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media