Northtek

yes that is a start, but the problem is that yes we can talk to people and yes they will agree. But unfortunately, as ideal as this sounds, it ignores human nature. We can talk or preach as much as we want, but it will only resound to a small few. People are motivated by what helps them immediately, the idea of a better tomorrow will fall on deaf ears of those who are more worried of how to feed their family today. Sad truth is, nothing motivates people more than earning money. So if we can solve the problems of tomorrow while solving a problem of today, then why don't we. Talk is cheap and if it solved the problem, I am all for it, but we have been talking for decades. so I think its time for more.

Well I hope you live the next 20 years too, I think we will hopefully see so good changes. I am particularly interested in seeing where battery tech will take us, as the new solid state batteries show a lot of promise. The only issue I have is that the current polices seemed to be aimed a the consumers and not the real polluters. It seems that we are more concerned with finding some one to blame than we are to educating ourselves to the real issues.

Defiantly it concerns me. Up until now I was told by my wife that this was normal, she is from here and I have had no reason to question her on it. But there is so much here that seems ridiculously cheap, it seamed reasonable. But I will talk with the neighbors and watch the meter.

I forgot to note that when we made that compromise, she got to setup the house the way she wanted and I got the go ahead to buy a 3D printer, which is awesome. If you get a chance to buy one, I say do it.

Yes I switched it as it showed a lot if info and I was concerned about the amount of info I was posting to the net. The bill is in Spanish and to be honest it seems off, but the app is in English and I was going off that. The usage history seems consistent for the last year, but I will compare it with the neighbors to see if there is a big difference and let you know. Currently I am in the southern tip of Guadalajara, as we are temporarily renting until we can design and build in the Lake Chapala area. I am an engineer and want to build a low consumption smart home, so we are using this time to understand what we need to do to reduce our energy consumption and learn building practices in the area. As a Canadian, I was surprised to learn how much energy I consumed back home as compared to the average consumption here. Just recently learned that Canada produces and consumes twice as much energy, but have 1 fifth the population. We use appliance's that suck up energy in the name of convenience. So I have a lot to learn.

I looked through the billing history for the last year and billing has been consistent, the meter is new as the area I am in is relatively new. it has an antitamper tag on it and I am pretty sure its secure, as the neighborhood is very secure. We live in a gated community, inside a gated community. Plus its just a 3 bedroom condo and we decided to opt out of heavy consuming appliances, such as A/C, Electric dryers, and so on. so our consumption is very low. This was my wife's decision, as she is from here and said that she did not want it. I was resistant at first, as I like my conveniences, but have adopted, as I was told this is the way it is here. But in the end, if there is an issue, I am sure it will present itself. Until then, I will just money aside just in case.

Of course it was just a job for them, but it started the conversation, as they wanted to know why, and that's a start. Even if they did not change, the environment did. That one less tired burned, one less bag of garbage in the field. Actions are the only thing that makes change, empty words don't. If you show concern through action, people will take notice. Plus $50 will make no impact in my life, where $500 pesos will make a difference in theirs. 2 birds, 1 stone, Best money spent. So am I naïve, maybe, but I would rather take steps to solve the problem, even if its unsuccessful, Because its better than doing nothing. As doing nothing is not an option.

Some times all it takes is starting the conversation. I have spoke to a few locals and getting a good response. Mind you I think it’s because I am starting with, hey, how can I help with this? Or what can I do? once I suggested that I would pay a couple of guys to walk through and pick out the big garbage, which would cost me maybe $50, the response was more than positive. its amazing how much goodwill $50 bucks can get.

I agree, nuclear power has the most potential as it takes less of a foot print than any other source. The only problem is public fear. Chernobyl, Fukushima, and 3 mile island are the 3 main reasons for the fear, but safety has come along way. we need to get past the fear and see where micro nuclear can take us. As nuclear ships would solve the majority of the problems.

That's exactly what I am hoping for as Rome wasn't built in a day, plus I am sure the locals wont take lightly to a new comer telling them how things should be done. But I am hoping we can advocate and educate in a way that is in keeping a good relationship. Plant the seeds of change as they say.

Yes I can understand that, the problem isn't the burning of the fields, its the fact that afterward I went by for a walk and you can see the old tires and garbage still burning. Sadly I have been to about 32 countries now and Mexico is the first one that I have been to where I asked hey what's that burning over there and was told is was a stream, the water was so polluted, it burned. I laughed at first and thought I didn't hear them correctly and said "lol water doesn't burn", but yes, it was the water. I have seen some crazy stuff, but that was a first.

Checked both the meter and last copy of the bill. Everything looks right

ok this is a good suggestion, as I think it is some thing we can actually do something about. Because I do believe if it is really a concern, we should see if there is a solution we can be active on. But as a part time resident, I am not sure cracking down on anything is in my abilities, but as part of a concerned group, I think we can find the information needed to forward this idea. “We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.” – Mahatma Gandhi This is an interesting quote as it leads to solutions not conflict. That's what we need. Because the real truth is to change the climate, we need to change the way we think. As far as the use of solar or green energy. I will be honest, I was a big believer. but over the years, I have worked with a lot of companies installing systems in Canada (mainly Industrial) and the experience left me questioning the whole thing. In fact it left me as a sceptic. So much so, I had become an advocate of Nuclear. But since my arrival to Mexico, I have realize the environment here is much more favorable and I am reexploring it to see if there is a real benefit.

sure thing, I will take a look as my wife handles that bill. All I know is that she asks me for the money and I give it to her. Fact is she was the one who set up everything here as she was born here and knows more about it than I do. But so far she has done well, as our bills are significantly lower than others I talk too. So marring a local seems to have its perks.

No I am not using solar for power, I have a solar water heater, but that's it. we use gas for the stove and additional water heater if needed, but everything else is electrical. Mind you, I don't have A/C yet and everything is low consumption. But to be honest, I have no idea why our bill is so low, just thankful that it is.

Recently I witnessed a horror show on a recent tread that was shutdown by the moderators as it quickly descended into chaos. But the questions raised had no solutions. So I am hoping we can have a discussion here that actually finds solutions. Yes there are some. As the truth is climate change is a debate for a reason. But regardless of what side of the argument you stand on, there are real environment concerns that we deal with here in Mexico everyday. Big example is air quality. https://aqicn.org/city/guadalajara/ its currently listed as unhealthy. To put it into perspective, air quality here is the equivalent to smoking 2 packs a day. Can we do anything about it? not sure, but we can try. I am hoping we can avoid the problems the last tread had, which is this, this forum has a reputation for personal attacks and a lot of people just want to post negative responses. So before you post, ask yourself this, am I helping or contributing in any way? are these just my own opinion's or do I have any supporting my claims? Opinions are welcome, both for or against, if the move the conversation forward. but if you just want to make a snarky remark, there are a lot of other threads, so feel free to make them there, get it out of your system, then come back. Ok so lets get into it. What can we do? Well I think we need to understand the underlying problem with the debate in the first place. In that's how we approach the argument. This is where we need to start. There is a very large component of the debate that is psychological in nature. I was made aware recently that a lot of people are completely unaware or incapable of associating that their action can have negative consequences. This is something we all need to accept. Everything we do has the potential to have negative consequences. The other thing that will help us is the theory that we should think globally and act locally. How can we do that? well we need to advocate and educate. The best way to do that is to have discussions like this in an open and free way that encourages unification on ideas and promotes actions that has a positive impact on where we live. But we need to take small steps, as the situation we are in took generations and it will take probably generations to correct. so I offer the first small step. Air quality here is bad and we can help. It seems here there is a lot of people burning stuff, not exactly sure why, but in my neighborhood, they have been burning the fields nearby. for the last week i have seen clouds of black smoke billowing across the horizon. Also my wife comes home with the inside of her mask blacked with smoke and debris in the air. The reason? well it seems that when they burn the fields, they don't clean it first, as the fields are littered with tires and other garbage. Sad part of this is labor here is cheap, had I known this was the practice here I would have volunteered or hired guys to clean the fields first. Its not the answer but it is a start. So i am planning to find out if there is a schedule of the burning and see about organizing a way to get the fields cleaned before hand. So that is my efforts, any other suggestions?

unfortunately I feel like I am caught up in an argument with myself, it is between herd immunity vs herd mentality, the fact is I hear a lot about the vaccines and other therapies regarding covid, all conflicting. Truth is, I will eventually get the vaccine, not because I think it works, because, I simply don't know. But the reason I will get it is it will probably make travelling easier. As they as talking Immunity passports. Plus with cancel culture at its peak, I think anyone who refuses, will be shunned into oblivion. So I have decided my best bet is to wait as long as I can and hope enough time has passed that the true nature of the vaccines will show its self. I think the old adage of " only fools rush in " might be apt on this one. But there is a lot of chatter on one therapy, Its called Ivermectin and has also a lot of controversy here in Mexico. https://www.theyucatantimes.com/2020/09/ministry-of-health-warns-of-risks-of-using-these-drugs-for-covid-19/ Anyone know anything about this? Fact or fiction?

A little while back, some one came to the house wanting to change our meter, My wife refused as ours worked fine. Now she tells me that those who did change are now getting bills 4 times the cost. Anyone else hear anything like this? Truthfully I am shocked by how low our bill is, as it has only been $25 peso each month

I checked all the links and just got hosting companies. Is there a website?

Thanks Mainecoons for the heads up, as I understand we don't need to open any cans of worms. Plus there is a lot about Mexico that is misreported in the news and I have learned a lot about the Mexican people. So I have no problem sticking with topics just about Mexico. I will find another place to express my support for the Americans. If anyone knows a good place, let me know, because it seems everyone is so eager to hate other than support. I think its time we changed the narrative to a more positive one, the only way to do that is to speak out with support for each other.

Understandable, as I wouldn't want to peruse it as a political issue, as it already has been described as an ideology. Being woke is a completely different argument. But I honestly am tired of the media and people dumping on the Americans as a people. As a Canadian, I have always stood proudly with the Americans as we share not only history, but common values. The truth is the American people have a lot to be proud of and history is a testament to their accomplishments. So here are a few things that I know to be true, regardless of what the media will say. 1. Charity - Believe it or not, the US is the only country where donations are made mostly by the citizens more that the government. 2. Natural Disasters - Regardless of what country the natural disaster hits, Americans are the first to have boots on the ground to provide aid. 3. Slavery - even though The US is not the first to end slavery, it was the first willing to fight against it and because of this, the whole world took notice. 4. The Americans developed a frame work for democracy that has set a standard for the rest of the world. Sadly, I know more about the US constitution than my own. Most people do. The list is actually endless, but the media keeps talking about misinformation, when the truth is they are the leaders in it. In Fact Mexico, is also where the media likes to dump a lot of misinformation about. But I will leave that for another discussion about all the reasons why I decided to move here.

I know this has nothing to do with climate change, but it would be great to carry on this discussion, even if its in a different thread, as this is something that is front and center of todays issues that will greatly impact everyone around the globe, including right here. Because what is happening in the US right now is a turning point for the whole world and will have a greater impact on all of us, even more so than climate change.

oh, fun fact, on the average, a cruse ship burns 1 gallon of diesel every inch. Plus my F150 gets an average if 12L per 100 kilometers and my friends Cadillac of the same year burns through 17L per 100 Kilometers. Go figure. and no my truck is not Eco boost, its a standard V8.

Lol This is a lively thread, but is also nice to see the various view points. The problem with sources is this, you can get 6 scientist to agree with anything, but you can also find 6 others that will prove it false. The biggest problem isn't what they agree on or disagree on, its actually what they are not even allowed to talk about. For example, and I remember this clearly, the media attacked anyone that drove an SUV or trucks as horrible people, because "don't they know what they do to the environment" mean while 1 cargo container produces the same air pollution as 50 million cars at once. https://www.industrytap.com/worlds-15-biggest-ships-create-more-pollution-than-all-the-cars-in-the-world/8182 truthfully, I think this really speaks to mans hubris, in thinking we actually make any difference at all, because I believe deep down, that if nature view us as a threat, it would shake us off like fleas.

Lol, nice to see a little sense of humor. but this is a subject I have a lot of interest in as I have worked with a lot of companies with both wind and solar back in Canada. Most were industrial projects, but the occasional home use project did come up. Unfortunately, back home, the market and conditions for alt energy are not as favorable as they are here, which has landed me more on the skeptical side. As I am a big fan of the technology, but there, Total cost of ownership was a conversation that was frowned upon. Plus business practices bordered on unethical. Also they seemed to have an all or nothing approach that seemed a little odd to me. So you can imagine my delight when arriving here that I saw a more practical approach to solar. Everyday I am amazed as I take my walks to see how many home take advantage of solar water heating. So, I am looking forward to following this thread and most likely be reaching out to Go Solar in the very near future.