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Ricardo Torres, one of the volunteers, considered that it is fundamental for Dominicans to dedicate part of their time to community initiatives that benefit everyone.“It is too important that Dominicans become aware and start sacrificing a little of their free time, not for the well-being of oneself as an individual, but for the well-being of all. The only thing that can make us improve as a country is to have awareness and act as a community,” he expressed.
“Rather than worrying about cleaning beaches more and more, we must educate in awareness so that these activities are needed less and less. We have to take care of our beaches because they are part of what we are as Dominicans and of our main tourist attraction,” he affirmed.
While Junior Victoriano, a member of the Nature Power Foundation and the Recicla Plus project, explained that although the immediate impact of these actions may not always be visible, they contribute to fostering an environmental culture in society. “The importance is that, even if the change isn’t visually a big impact, it helps us to have this type of actions as a routine and to understand that we can achieve having our beaches clean,” he indicated. The participants reiterated that cleaning beaches also helps raise awareness among communities about the importance of caring for the environment and protecting what they called “mother earth.” With the goal of collecting at least 10,000 kilograms of waste and mobilizing more than 1,000 volunteers, the Tour de Impacto – Dominican Republic 2026 began a 30-day national tour on March 14th focused on cleaning beaches, environmental education, and producing digital content to raise ecological awareness. The initiative, which will run until April 12, will connect different provinces of the country through community days in coastal ecosystems and strategic natural spaces. In addition to cleanups, the program includes educational talks, integration of young volunteers, and audiovisual documentation of each day, with an estimated reach of between 2 and 5 million views on digital platforms. The project is driven by Verdederos, an international environmental movement founded by educators and content creators Michaela Dolan and Jirka Dolan, who have developed similar actions in more than 31 countries. In the country, the execution is carried out in partnership with Fundación Vida Azul, a Dominican organization dedicated to the protection of marine ecosystems and environmental education.
