Earth Hour - La Hora del Planeta

I think that you are correct ju. Some care but most don't give a dang. Many are in their paradise and have left all that type of nonsense behind. After reading several articles, it becomes a catch 22. Turn off your elec. for an hour and add even more pollution using candles, wood stoves, oil based lanterns, LPG BBQ running your car for light. Some thinking that running their generator supports this. When the hour has ended and all the lights come back on the grid generators go into high mode and burn way more fuel trying to provide and equalize the grid with this sudden demand.

The thought is wonderful. Most of the results are terrible.

Way before I moved to the D.R. 20 years ago, I used wood for heating but had the most efficient systems that I could find. New insulation and windows. Overall it worked and payback was a few years. My back however, may never be the same.

Here in the D.R., we have invested in solar. We use very little grid and even our backup generator sits for weeks not starting. With the help of other solar and LED lighting threads we have changed our lighting........ again but are reaping the benefits full time. Our power is CLEAN. We don't have power fluctuations that costs us a fortune in replacing just about anything that the grid was powering and KILLING. Our newest upgrade in our solar systems will be paid back in less then 5 years.

We also harvest rain water with very simple systems. A well as a back-up with purification systems.


I think that we do our part. And in part it is important to keep our living expenditures in good shape. Our way has been solar and water but I understand that no everyone can or wants too.

I support the principle of "lights out" and hope that it helps in one way or another. My lights don't go out. And I don't contribute to polluting our planet. (ok, 500 pesos a month maybe. It's been a cloudy winter that provided rain.)

ju10prd said:

DR Solar you are certainly doing your bit and the bottom line it pays dividends for you first and foremost.

My prime reason to post is to advise. The switching off of lights could well be a surprise for many tonight in some locations.

DR has an active environmental community so you can expect some black outs in response to this grassroots worldwide movement which is heavily supported in many nations.

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Understood. Good for you giving a heads-up and informing us/others as to what is going on.

Funny that I went outside between posts. Our PN guys in the small apt. were out climbing trees for coconuts. We have a couple of dozen trees. Since I had just been on this thread I could not think of anything better then... recycling at it's best.

Amazing the man made global warming, (oh wait, now its climate change) façade has made it over the boundaries of industrialized countries.
You guys are aware the climate is changing on every planet in the solar system, are you not?
Google "Planetary Climate Change"
CO2 has been following warming trends throughout history not the other way around.
I just hope my TV doesn't´t go off

ju10prd said:

It has been posted on the Presidents website:

https://presidencia.gob.do/noticias/la-hora-del-planeta

stating: República Dominicana participa en jornada mundial para concienciar sobre Cambio Climático.

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What a joke, when they're building a coal-fired generating plant.

I do care about the environments but think initiatives like Earth Hour are a complete waste of effort. It's 100% symbolism and 0% real impact.

The electric did NOT go off from 8:30-9:30 pm here in my section of Santiago.

Chirimoya said:

What a joke, when they're building a coal-fired generating plant.

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And there you have it. A joke indeed.

I had no idea about 'earth hour' . No obvious power cut where I was at Chez Arsenios.

what a joke.........earth hour. my office called me few years ago asking me to turn out the lights for an hour.....I asked if people in the office were going to cycle to work rather than drive the suv's.........of course not. ridiculous.

Chirimoya said:

What a joke, when they're building a coal-fired generating plant.

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"Clean Coal" because it is relatively cheap to generate power vs other traditional methods. Environment is not always a top priority for third world govs. but electricity should be. It baffles me that after all this time the DR can't get its act together to produce enough power to effeicently cover the needs of its citizens and not create outage problems. Maybe they can buy some coal from Trump and West Virginia?

LTSteve said:

"Clean Coal" because it is relatively cheap to generate power vs other traditional methods. Environment is not always a top priority for third world govs. but electricity should be. It baffles me that after all this time the DR can't get its act together to produce enough power to effeicently cover the needs of its citizens and not create outage problems. Maybe they can buy some coal from Trump and West Virginia?

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A lack of payment for services rendered is the main problem for energy deficit. In other words, theft of power.

windeguy said:

A lack of payment for services rendered is the main problem for energy deficit. In other words, theft of power.

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Theft of "power" is not just those that don't pay the electric bill. It's the providers/generators, the transmission people and everyone involved that steel the "power". It's that lack of upgrading or any sort of preventative maintenance but no problem with hiring every family member and friend to sit around in new trucks and uniforms. It's the lack of gov. will to set up a fair, reasonable program for the poor that still pays at a rate that they can afford or to subsidize them so that the electric people don't go into areas with army and police to TRY to cut them off but starting a riot instead.

A balance with those that can not pay can be met. A balance with those that CAN but don't is another problem. But let's just start with the first paragraph. Good Luck.

I took my friends to the casino that night in HOPES that the power would go off before we donated too much. No such luck. Dang.

As we talk about electric here in the D.R. and how messed up it is? Yet the D.R has some important Solar and other projects that have made an impact. Unfortunately, the positive is overwhelmed by the negative with no positive progress but we have not idea why.

With the change in the U.S. policies regarding climate change or should I say the lack of regard to climate change and leaving the Paris Climate Accord that opens the door for "clean coal" upping again. The U.S. can rape protected land now to ship "clean coal" to the D.R. perhaps. Of course we ALL know that we can stand next to the stacks and breath this clean freah air in and enjoy.

Sorry. A little... no, a lot amazed at world events. As is most of the World.

Mauricio said:

I do care about the environments but think initiatives like Earth Hour are a complete waste of effort. It's 100% symbolism and 0% real impact.

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I agree. You really want to do something for your neighborhood, your home, your beach. Grab a garbage bag, and pick up trash in environmentally sensitive areas. It's your DR also. Don't wait for someone else to do it. Tell others "we are not your mother. Pick up after yourself. Carry it in, carry it out. I don't know how many times I saw both tourists and locals alike have a picnic on the beach and then leave there trash 50 feet from a can. Lazy people who don't care about the environment or the impact on others. Take some initiative. Small steps go a long way.