I was in in Kenya in early December for a conference put on by a part of the UN Development Program. It was my first time in Kenya, so of course I was fascinated on the ride from the airport to my hotel. The biggest thing I noticed was the consolidation of stores of a particular type right next to each other along the street. A string of fruit vendors followed by three used car lots (something I've never seen in Ethiopia... can't quite figure out why), followed by five (I think) distinct stalls selling the same overstuffed couches.

I have to assume that some balance has been struck over the past decades of market activity in Nairobi. If you set up a furniture store too close to too many other furniture stores, then you're going to constantly compete on price, and therefore not have as high a margin. But if you go solo and set up your shop far away from other furniture stores, then (unless you're very lucky and hit a wholly untapped market) people won't know where you are. If I ask where to go furniture shopping, a helpful Kenyan would rather send me to a place with lots of choice than the one shop off in the boonies (unless, of course, his brother owns the shop).

So is there another way to consider this balance? Everything is in flux as markets go up and people have more money (and buy more furniture) or they go down and people make do with what they have. So what's the lag time of furniture store density along the ring road in Nairobi? It all depends on turnover and the amount of capital the furniture shop owners can have sunk in their stock of overstuffed couches. You're not going to find any answers here... just musing questions. Anyone want to set up a research project?

It's been a while, and I have lots of photos, so I'm breaking them up into three posts. Here's the first set, up to about the second week of December, 2009. On to the photos...

Parting shot...

Sometime shortly after I moved to Germany for the first time, I took a trip with a colleague out to one of the BMW factories for a meeting. Riding along, chatting away in German, I had my first of many moments where I just have to stop and ask myself "how did I get here?" It's always been a positive question for me... a mixture of awe at what I've accomplished and surprise that I'm the one accomplishing it.

Going through high school, it never crossed my mind that I would go work in Germany, let alone Nepal or Africa. It simply wasn't on my radar, and that makes these moments that much stronger. To be able to call someplace 'home' that is a third of the way around the world from where I grew up is quite cool. But what comes next? How do I 'top' living in Ethiopia? I don't want to give up my "how did I get here?" moments, but I also recognize that my life needs to be somewhat more directed if I am to reach some of the goals that I have for myself and my career. Can you still be joyfully surprised at finding yourself in a situation that you've been doggedly working towards for years? Like with a professorship after years of graduate work? I sure hope so.

LOTS of pictures this time. Enjoy!

Another motorcycle ride outside of Addis

The Apartment

Annie is a friend of mine from my IDEO days. She and Judy were on a project in Kenya, and stopped through Addis for a couple of days on their way back home. Oh, and did I mention that Annie is a swing dancer? :-D

Last year I ran the Great Ethiopian Run, but didn't get many good photos. This year my dad ran/walked it with his camera, so I got to steal his photos. :-)

Work: supply chain in Ziway

Work: testing treadle pumps

Work: field trip to Butajira

Work: digging a hole

Parting shot...

Al Gore has a new book out. There's lots of discussion going on about the COP 15 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December (here is the best description of the ongoing negotiations I've read so far).

That's all on a grand scale, but lot's of people ask "what can I do?" There are plenty of 'carbon calculators' out there to help you figure out how much carbon your lifestyle adds to the environment. One of my favorite approaches, however, is by a guy named Saul Griffith, and is presented on the Watts On website. Saul's an engineer, and has chosen to use watts instead of carbon to measure a lifestyle. If you have a fast enough internet connection, go watch this video for Saul's explanation of why he uses watts.

But what's the use of calculating how much carbon you're spewing into the air, or how many watts your lifestyle requires? On a business/government scale, there's lots of discussion of a carbon-based 'cap and trade' system. It would place a limit on the amount of carbon a company can emit, and prescribe consequences (fees) if it emits more than allowed. That's the 'cap' part. The 'trade' part would allow companies that do not emit as much carbon as they are allowed to sell that excess allowance to the companies who go over their carbon limits. It's a way to have that somewhat ethereal force called 'the market' help companies find a balance between profitability and environmental responsibility.

The readers of this blog aren't businesses though, so what about individuals? As I mentioned above, there are lots of options for creating your own 'carbon budget' or, on the Watt's On website, an energy budget. But what do you do with that? The cap and trade system is trying to make carbon more like a currency... to make it equivalent to money in some ways (allowing companies to sell their carbon allowance for cash). So what would it take to do that for individuals? Most households have a financial budget. What would it take for households to create a carbon or energy budget?

What this all leads to is an idea that struck me last week. Financial budgets are difficult to argue with. When Mom tells her daughter that "I'm sorry honey, but we can't afford a trip to Disneyland this year," there isn't much response to that. Whining and throwing a tantrum might help the kid eventually calm down, but it's not going to get her to Disneyland. If we're talking about businesses limiting their carbon output, when will it fall to households to do the same? I'm not talking about government regulation or control here, more about the social aspect of it. What if the statement was "I'm sorry honey, but going to Disneyland would put us over our carbon budget for the year"? Right now, that sounds a little strange even to me. But is there a cultural shift coming... one in which carbon and energy are promoted to nearly the same level as money in how they affect families' decisions and actions? A shift like that might be needed to keep the planet from warming too much.

No pictures again today... I wanted to get this post out as quickly as possible. I'll get some posted in the coming week.

My name is Mark. I was born near Chicago, have lived in the US, Germany and Nepal, and am starting a new job and a new adventure in Ethiopia. This site is a way for me to keep friends and family updated on my progress, share some pictures, and perhaps offer a bit of reflection along the way. Please look around, and enjoy the ride!

Herumwandernder Cavetroll... heisse Mark. Ich habe in den USA, Deutschland und Nepal gewohnt, und jetzt geht es weiter nach Äthiopien. Mit diesem Website halte ich meine Familien- und Freundeskreise informiert über wie es mir in meinen Abenteuern geht. Schau mal 'rum, und viel Spass dabei!

-Mark, September 2008