Our meeting started with catching up and talking about what happened since we last saw each other. We were happy to find out that the flyers that one of the groups designed for the “Zero Waste Day” were already printed and we could have a look at them. Posters had also been printed.

Afterwards we got together in the different groups for the upcoming event and developed what exactly we would like to do and split up the tasks that needed to be done at home.

For example, the upcycling group agreed on three things they would like to offer. These are porte-monnaies made of Tetra-packs, pencil holders made of old tins and dispensers for bird seed made of plastic bottles. Each of the three present group members was made responsible for one of the three things. We agreed on building prototypes for each of the three things for the next meeting.
To make it possible to build these with the visitors on the 28^th of March, we made a list with the things we would need for that day. Anne offered to look for them in the Droste-Haus, as they have a lot of craft stuff there. That is a good thing because we’d save money, but we were especially happy about it as not buying new things is sustainable as well.

Our second meeting after the exchange took place in November. During this meeting we tried to find a name for the event we started talking about the last time we met. After lots of discussions we agreed on calling it “Zero Waste Day”. Furthermore, we talked about the activities we would like to offer to the visitors and continued collecting ideas for these. We also started thinking about the different things we would need for the Zero Waste Day and who of us could bring which of them.

When it comes to planning such an event advertising is an important aspect as well. That is why we started collecting ideas for flyers to inform people about the upcoming event.

At the end of our meeting we filled questionnaires about our experiences in the Dominican Republic and the way it changed our daily life. Afterwards Anne filmed us presenting our answers. The videos were needed for “Weltwärts”. This organisation made our exchange with the Dominican Republic possible by financially supporting it. Therefore, they are interested in our experiences and opinions. If you are interested, you can watch the final video on the Facebook page of the “Droste-Haus”.

On wednesday after three days of traveling we stayed in Santo Domingo. In the morning there was a lot of waste at the coast of Santo Domingo waiting for us to be collected. In cooperation with local workers we filled many garbage bags. And we also used our self made microplastic sieve to look for very small pieces of plastic. On the picture you see three blue pieces of microplastic, the smallest one is about 1mm*1mm*1.5mm, so it is just big enough to be sift out with our sieve opening of 1mm*1mm.

After carrying up all the garbage bags from the beach to the street, where the dustcart fetched it, we had lunch at the environmental cooperativa. Then we went to a park near the university and styled cloth bags by printing messages and pictures on them. The finished bags we spread to people around to call attention on our project and point on ways of reducing plastic waste.

The first meeting after the exchange was on the 27th september 2019, a little over a month after we landed back in Germany.

We talked about our final impressions of the Dominican Republic, which were mostly positive, and the changes we noticed as we were back in our homeland, such as the way more organized traffic.

We also filled out a form on our knowledge about the environmental change in order to compare it to the one we filled out in the very beginning of our journey, on our first meeting, and to see how our knowledge has changed through the exchange and how it will change in the future.

After that, Anne gave us a piece of paper on which we had to write down what specifically we want to change in the time period between this, and the next get-together. It is easier for you to remember written down things and you actually try to do them if you can see them. The concept is kinda like your resolutions for the new year.

The biggest part of this meeting took up the pre-planning of an event to inform people on how they could change their life-style to decrease their environmental footprint nad also fun activities which include upcycling and other things. We formed teams which are each responsible for organizing an aspect, and also collected our very first ideas for the day.

Of course was the meeting accompanied by cookies, a lots of photos, and fun films from our exchange.

We met for the second time on a hot day in June. Due to the good weather, we got together in the garden with a lot of bees and wasps.

The summary of the article about the recycling process in the Dominican Republic was presented and the difficulties of shopping with zero waste discussed. The team, who bought the food for the dish we were to cook later this day, shared specifically their experience and what exactly they could not find without packaging (see post ‘Zero Waste Shopping’).

We also calculated our environmental footprint, which is basically a way to determine how many earths we would need if every human in this world lived the same way as you are. It considers for example how many days of the week you are eating meat, how many kms you drive with a car in a week, how often you use your washing machine, if you plug out your devices after charging or using them, or if you turn off the lights when you leave a room. And of course, how often you flew with a plane in the last year.

The most common result in our group was approx. 2 earths, after that 3 earths, which is actually an impossible life-style to maintain if every human would use the same amount of resources as we do. To calculate your own environmental footprint may not be the most accurate way to determine how unsustainable your life-style is, but it sure shows you a shockingly enough result to consider changing your way of living.

After that, we played a little game, where you had to find a person which fulfilled a question on your paper. The aim was to find a person each for all the questions. The questions were asking things such as if you changed their lifestyle to specifically help to stop the climate change, if you plant your own food in the garden, if you choose public transportation over flying in the last months, if you spent time in the nature in the last 2 weeks, or if you re-/posted articles, pictures, or so about the climate change on social media.

It was obvious that many of us grow their own food in their garden, or changed their lifestyle to be more sustainable. But not many of us, actually just one person, have ever posted or re-posted something related to the climate change.

Additionally, our introduction for our guest family were filmed and then, finally, we began with the cooking, the highlight of the day.

We tried to cook traditional dishes of the Dominican Republic to get a foretaste of what we will eat. The main dish contained of rice, beans, peppers and coconut milk. We also made a dessert which was a cocunut and vanilla flavored pudding.

Even though we may not be professional chefs, it was still delicious and we enjoyed the small change in our usual activities.

On tuesday we went inland to the town Santiago. There we got to know the first recycling centre „Cilpen Global“ in the dominican republic.

Our guide told us that it takes a lot of time to seperate the different kinds of waste. To reduce this effort and save time at the recycling center, in Santiago there are initiated first projects for waste seperation at the source.

Some kinds of waste like old tires are recycled directly at the recycling center. Other kinds like plastic waste are seperated and packed as cubic figures to be exported in order to recycle them in other countrys.

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The recycling centre does not have enough capacity, yet, to process all the waste arising in the dominican republic. Therefore it is planned to be expanded at this place and perspectively also at further places in the country.

On monday early in the morning we started a day trip to the province Monte Cristi, that is in the very northwestern part of the dominican republic, near the border to Haiti. After we arrived at first we got to know projects on cleaning the nature from plastic waste.

Then we visited an organic and fair traide certified banana plantation. While growing on the plant all fruits are packaged in a protective cover that looks like a plastic bag with small holes. The local farmers told us, that this plantation uses bags made of bio-degradable plastic to reduce plastic waste.

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Further plastic packaging is used for protecting the fruits on their way to the consumers, e.g. in the european union. The strict rules for selling fruits lead to the use of much packaging all over the production and transportation process. Optical flaws are not accepted, neigther by laws nor by the consumers.

The day ended up with a beach cleaning and swimming activity at the northern coast and the long journey back to Santo Domingo by bus.

On Saturday we arrived in Samana, after getting out of the bus we waited a short time till everybody was ready. When everybody was ready, we got a tour throw a whale museum by a guide, who was working their voluntarily. He explained a lot about whales, for example their way of hunting or the way of mating. He didn’t stop there, our guide also talked about sea turtles and how they are endangered. In the end he gave us an example, why plastic is so bad for the environment. The example was that sea turtles can get straws stuck in their noses, which causes the sea turtles to suffocate. When the tour was over we went back into the bus and drove off with a lot more knowledge.

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When we arrived in Samana in the evening, we had time to check out the beautiful beach. The next day we ate breakfast in the motel and we got ourselves ready for a boat tour. This boat tour took us around the beach and showed us the beautiful nature of the Dominican Republic, we stopped our tour two times, because a guide showed us two different and very beautiful caves and their long history. After this tour we got our stuff together and we drove home to Santo Domingo.