Celebrating Sustainable Cooling: Limón Marks International Ozone Layer Preservation Day

On September 20, Costa Rica’s Environment and Energy Ministry (MINAE), specifically its Environmental Quality Management Directorate (DIGECA), celebrated International Ozone Layer Preservation Day in Limón to support sustainable refrigeration initiatives led by Limón's Colegio Técnico Profesional (CTP).

Local officers, students, faculty, businesses, and community groups gathered for the event. For several years, the Ozone Technical Unit, the United Nations Development Program, and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) have equipped technical colleges nationwide with tools and training to support sustainable refrigeration and air conditioning practices.

During the event, GIZ symbolically presented a commitment letter for donating a CO₂-based refrigeration container and tools to CTP Limón, providing students with hands-on experience with natural refrigerants and advanced technology. This donation is part of the "Greener Reefers" pilot project aimed at strengthening skills in port regions through technical capacity building and equipment transfer, especially for the safe handling of refrigerant gases and adequate maintenance of refrigerated containers or reefers.

The event also featured a performance by Grupo Experimental Caribe, a local Calypso band dedicated to preserving regional music, which performed their original song Caribe Inmenso. In closing, Ms. Shirley Soto Montero of DIGECA-MINAE expressed gratitude to CTP Limón’s faculty for their commitment to sustainable education in refrigeration.

Costa Rica, Puerto Limón.