Garbage Problem SOLVED In Punta Cana!

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Welcome to the Grubernation Weekly Newsletter!

I share information, tactics and tips for moving abroad, living your dream and EVERYTHING in between.

In this week’s edition:

• Garbage Problem Solved in Punta Cana!

• Has the Dominican Republic’s Progress Stalled?

• How to SAFELY Enjoy Your Next Vacation

If you’re in need of a realtor referral, just click here and I’ll connect you. Or, if you need a real estate attorney, click here. I see both of these professionals as ESSENTIAL to reducing the risk of investing in DR. As with anything, even a referral from me, do your own due diligence. Note - if you choose to do business with anyone I refer, they will pay me a referral fee.

Garbage Problem SOLVED In Punta Cana!

Anyone that’s traveled around Dominican Republic has probably noticed a contrast.

On one hand, the landscape, the ocean and that crayon blue sky and gorgeous palm trees are captivating!

On the other, you notice trash in medians, along roadsides and worse than that, in rivers and bodies of water.

For some, like me, I noticed it and realize it needs to improve - but my world view focuses more on the culture and beauty of this land.

I believe you can acknowledge the need for change but lean even more into gratitude for life in general and the circumstances you find yourself in.

Many, however, ONLY see the trash. It’s a sad world view to me - to lead with the negative - but hey, if everyone thought the same as me, the world would be boring!

Here in Punta Cana, we have regular trash pick up, there is recycling as well and trash isn’t the problem you see elsewhere.

To be clear, I mean within the communities of Grupo Punta Cana - I’m NOT speaking about Corrales, Bavaro, etc.

This week, there was an email blast announcing a MAJOR new initiative by Grupo Punta Cana called ‘Zero Waste’.

I’ll post the entire write up below with images - but I’ll first give a little color.

• This project has been in the works for some time already

• The man behind the project, Jake Kheel has become a friend and I know him to be a man of high integrity

• I have plans to document the facility in the near future so stay tuned for that

• This project is specific to Grupo Punta Cana, but I’m hopeful that with success, it’s duplicated in other communities

• Lastly, this is a GREAT solution for trash collection and mitigation which is 50% of the problem in DR. The other 50% is littering especially in areas that don’t have robust collection practices. The education and infrastructure to turn that around will take much more time.

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In addition, I must say to those that will say ‘you’re getting paid by Grupo Punta Cana’ - believe what you want, unsubscribe, and leave me alone.

Again, your world view and mine don’t align.

If you LOVE Chick-Fil-A and tell everyone about it, are they paying you?

I’ve explored living options around the area and we’ve even flirted in the past with a move to Cabarete.

What Grupo Punta Cana offers, however, is not only best in country, but better than anywhere else I’ve ever lived.

So .. I’m a fan! And at times, I’m annoyed by them (some of their processes can be infuriating!!) Again, I see the bad but am more inclined to be grateful for the good 😉.

With that out of the way .. here’s the article:

The Dominican Republic has officially entered the circular economy. In 2020, the country passed the National Law on Integrated Solid Waste Management, which for the first time regulates how companies, local governments, and citizens manage waste. The law created incentives for innovative waste management projects at a national level, attracting significant investments for new recycling, composting, and waste-to-energy initiatives, while requiring the proper disposal of remaining waste in landfills. While the implementation of the law has been complex and there is still much work to be done, the country has made significant strides in improving how it manages its waste.

Grupo Puntacana has been a leader in integrated solid waste management long before it became popular. In 2007, we launched "Zero Waste Puntacana," affirming our intention to become a model community in terms of responsible waste management. We built one of the country’s first material recovery facilities, the Eastern Valorization Center (CENVAREE), to separate and commercialize select recyclable materials and divert other waste from landfills. At the same time, the Puntacana Foundation was working to investigate and test various technologies to help us reduce the amount of waste we produce and find creative ways to transform waste into valuable resources.

This year, CENVAREE continues to grow with some exciting developments. CENVAREE has signed a contract with the government of the Dominican Republic to expand its operations to include other nearby hotels and communities. In March, we will begin operations of "Earth Flow," Punta Cana’s first industrial-scale composting facility, which will transform between 5 and 10 tons of organic waste per day into high-value soil. Finally, we will launch an educational campaign so that the residents of Puntacana Village and Puntacana Resort can contribute to our goal of becoming a "Zero Waste" community. Stay tuned, we look forward to sharing our progress in the coming months!

What are your thoughts? Can this be expanded and over time resolve trash issues in DR? Or are you skeptical?

Has Dominican Republic’s Progress Stalled?

AntiNoti is a massive media platform run by Sergio Carlo.

If you haven’t seen my Grub with Gruber with Sergio, I’ll link it here. He’s a very good person, gracious and kind, funny and passionate about improvement in the country.

We may not agree on everything - like his proposal to eliminate cash in DR - but you cannot say he’s not informed, connected and extremely smart.

In a recent video, he went OFF on the concept of government lying to its citizens.

Specifically, the current president having promised change and progress and not seeing the results match the rhetoric.

Remember, I had to do my best to interpret the video haha.

That said, it got me thinking - what’s real? I mean, real from my perspective?

So I took a few minutes to outline my thoughts on whether or not progress has stalled or stopped.

#1: Whatever Happened to the Train?

A couple of years ago, I boldly proclaimed the exciting news of a train line going from Punta Cana to Santo Domingo in 57 minutes!

The ability for that train to not only bring tourists to the capital city, but also transport workers or residents back and forth in a relatively short time will be epic.

I say ‘will be’, because it will happen. I’m confident of that.

But where’s the news on this? Where’s the ground breaking?

This is a $3b privately funded project that should have more momentum to this point than it’s gotten.

You may wonder where my confidence comes from - and I’ll explain that.

The Santiago monorail is being built - I see it.

The highway system has been built - I remember when it wasn’t there.

The electric grid in certain parts of the country has improved.

The airports have expanded and some have modernized.

I believe we will see the recently communicated projects get completed - but it'll take way more time than promised.

#2: It Depends on Who You Are

I’m blessed and privileged to be able to earn USD and live in a very developed part of the country.

While portions of the area like Cortecito need attention and improvement, we don’t go without electric, the roads are repaired, etc.

That said ,much of that is privately funded. The airport is privately owned in Punta Cana, and therefore has far outpaced all others that aren’t.

If we were lower income Dominicans living in areas that don’t have the same level of private investment and therefore public/government support - then the progress simply isn’t there.

Much more needs to be done.

• Trash mitigation

• School development

• Update of public hospitals

• Education in general

• Stabilize electricity

And so on.

#3: The Speed of Governments

Years ago, I lived in a town in Upstate New York called Elmira.

The town of Elmira and a neighboring town called Horseheads share a major through road called ‘the Miracle Mile’ (which was not miraculous by the way).

At one point, both towns decided to dig up and redo this roadway.

Horseheads hired a private crew to redo their half of the road and 3 weeks later, it was complete!

Elmira, however, used a town crew to redo their half and 9 months later, it was complete!!

Typically, governments move MUCH slower than private entities. So I’d love to see more private innovation supported by the government here because this government is no different than most.

In addition, it’s interesting to compare what’s happening with the Trump administration.

Sticking with facts and not politics - the pace at which he and his administration have implemented policy has been extremely rapid.

There is no doubt that the swiftness of action is palpable.

Many people that love Trump celebrate that speed as what’s needed and support the policies.

Many people that hate Trump recognize the speed and feel it’s dangerous and more harmful than good.

Again people - stick to the facts. I know some love him, some hate him - I. DON’T. CARE.

You can think Bo Jackson is a major POS and STILL agree that he ran a sub 4.3 40 yard dash and acknowledge it’s fast!

If you want to then say it’s because of faulty timers, steroids or anything else - then fine.

For anyone right now getting bent out of shape politically and going to their keyboard to reply to me about how wrong Trump is - instead, go over to the unsubscribe button at the bottom and do that.

(Feeling FEISTY today!!)

My take overall is progress has NOT stalled but it really depends on who you are.

Those reading this newsletter and following my content are blessed to have means to live an amazing life in DR if they chose to do so.

My content is tailored to those people because I’m fortunate enough to have the means to enjoy the best of this country.

And, we’re blessed to have someone like Sergio holding the government accountable.

But he’s not right and I’m not right - the truth, as always, is somewhere in between.

How to SAFELY Enjoy Your Next Vacation

I try to answer as many questions as I can for those of you I’m blessed to have following along.

This video is a compilation of questions you asked that I answered, starting with safety when traveling abroad (and particularly to the Dominican Republic).

The news cycle recently had multiple stories that can give people pause before taking that amazing tropical location.

Hopefully the info in this video helps calm down those fears 😉 .

Always open to content questions or suggestions - just email me and let me know your thoughts! Until next week…