Episode 8: Danielle Wright and John Gaines - Staying Cool with Natural Refrigerants

Project Drawdown ranks commercial refrigeration as the #1 opportunity to reduce emissions and combat our climate crisis. So we've got two guests on the show to discuss how grocery operators are exploring natural refrigerants to reduce potent greenhouse gas emissions.

Danielle Wright is the Executive Director of the North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council. She is a wealth of knowledge and is working with various stakeholders to encourage the transition away from refrigerants that contribute to our climate emergency. Natural refrigerants represent only about 2 percent of the grocery market, so she is busy tackling the many challenges. John Gaines is Director of Construction and Facilities for PCC Community Markets, which operates 15 stores in the Puget Sound region. PCC is part of the 2% with several stores running on carbon dioxide refrigeration, so John is busy figuring how to install these climate-saving systems.

We talk about international treaties, technology transfer from Europe, state and federal legislation, and of course ... how to keep your ice cream cold.