The North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), a 501(c)(3) environmental nonprofit working to advance climate-friendly natural refrigerants in supermarkets, hosted the Natural Refrigerant Training Summit April 4-6 at Southern California Edison’s (SCE) Energy Education Center in Irwindale, California.

The event convened more than 350 participants — including trainers from 12 organizations and 250 technicians from over 50 service contractor companies — to prepare refrigeration technicians for the latest CO₂ and propane technologies. A rotating schedule of 17 sessions gave technicians access to multiple trainings in one place. Session slides and recordings are now available for free viewing at https://nasrc.org/training-summit-materials.

“The event’s success was beyond anything we could have imagined,” said Danielle Wright, executive director of NASRC. “The enthusiasm and engagement were unmatched, and there is a clear demand for similar events around the country.”

The summit included a networking session with nearly 100 students and faculty from local HVACR schools to increase their exposure to commercial refrigeration and natural refrigerants, something NASRC insists is a critical solution to the technician shortage.

“While these students are primed to enter an HVACR career, their exposure to the 'R' is often limited,” said Wright. “The student networking session sought to increase that exposure, build industry connections, and ultimately grow the refrigeration technician workforce.”

NASRC plans to host additional training summits and student networking events in other parts of the country and is actively seeking co-hosts to provide a facility. To offer a facility for future training, contact info@nasrc.org.