This is apparently perfectly normal for a night out in Hong Kong.
So the month of March was spent in China with my Thesis team doing factory assessments of garment manufacturers. Interesting stuff. Our thesis draft is due monday, so I have been concentrating my energies there. Luckily, John is far more productive than I and has some great material here:
John Silkey: Man of the People Check out his posts (previous ones as well), he's got a lot of good insights (also wittier than me) plus he scooped me with some of the best pictures from the trip. He also updates his blog about our activities more than bi monthly.
So what were we actually doing in China? Basically, a huge UK fashion retailer wanted us to go there and get some info on the environmental footprint of some of their suppliers and what might be done to improve it. This involved site visits and workshops at two factories, one makes undergarments, the other handbags. We did a series of workshops with management and employees, to create an understanding of what we mean when we say sustainable and then to help them brainstorm ideas about how their factory could move towards sustainability. It was quite successful and we were impressed with the quality and quantity of ideas produced.
The thing about sustainability is this: Everyone loves the idea, but it's all about the HOW. Once threshold of awareness is reached no one disputes that we have some serious ecological problems to attend to. (The more engaged you get, the more you realize the breadth and urgency of these problems, so best not to take your head too far out of the sand in my opinion; it can get a little daunting.) But what do we do about it? The HOW is of course the hard part. But when a group gets momentum ideas and opportunities for change start flowing fast. At the end of the week we had co-created a list of action steps that will probably get implemented, and the factory management seemed excited to start trying some things. But more importantly, they have to some degree internalized that these are serious problems (waste, emissions, work conditions, toxins, water, etc.) and management decisions have a direct impact. Awareness and a system perspective is where it all has to start.
It's an underwear factory, I know, but still... There were posters of underwear models
everywhere. And many of them were not as conservative as this young lady.
One of the most striking things about China is the SCALE. There are so many people, and the material flows are equally astounding. 30,000 bras a day. 10 tons of waste every day. It is really something. I was reflecting that the city of Shenzhen is roughly equal in population to all of Scandinavia. The decisions that China makes around sustainability (and everything else for that matter) will dictate how the world goes to a significant extent.
If you're in the market for a sequined leopard print handbag, our other study factory makes 7,000 of them everyday. Other styles also available.
Here is a poster outside the factory advertising jobs. Wages are listed on the right side along with job description, sewing, stamping, packing, etc. Most pay somewhere between 1500-2500 per month (US$220-360) Dorm accommodation (8 to a room) and meals are provided (we ate lunch there everyday and it was quite good.)
Everything comes from somewhere. We went to a huge mall where the shops were selling all the components I forget to think about: decals, antennas, LEDs, capacitors, etc. etc.
A whole floor with keys and buttons for cell phones, computers, and calculators. There was another floor dedicated entirely to wires for chargers, accessories, etc. Looking at this stuff all gathered in one place before being dispersed to individual products provides a new perspective. It also makes this article stand out in sharp relief:
To maintain our standard of living, each person in the United States requires over 48,000 pounds of minerals each year...
I wanted to get the New Balance/Nike hybrids but they didn't have any in my size. In fact, in the roughly 15 shoe stalls I visited, no one did. And then I decided that was fine cause I was going to start considering my consumption more critically anyway. Question: do I really need this? Then ask five whys. It's incredibly annoying, and quite effective in curbing purchases.
On top of one of the dorms we found these fermenting meat(?) balls. I had been warned about interesting food in China, and while we met with some challenging dishes to be sure (and I have to concur with John's repeated references to the remarkable unpleasantness of cold chicken feet for breakfast) the food on the whole was great. Our hosts took us out to banquets nearly every night, accompanied by plenty of baijou (like rice whiskey). We tried a vast array of things, and while China is no place for a vegetarian or someone squeamish about texture, we ate so well than I gained 5 pounds.
Speaking of our fantastic hosts: I can't say enough good things about them, in and out of the office. China is one of the best countries you can visit if you want to encounter friendly, helpful, and incredibly gracious people. Despite our utter lack of Mandarin our new friends were patient, had a great sense of humor, and were excited to share their culture. Also, they delighted in taking us on culinary adventures, with many rounds of "try this... do you like it?" Asking "what is it?" only results in another round.
Baijou shots are incorporated throughout. I won't go into the various exotic items and firsts I tried, but my favorite dishes tended to be the lowest on the food chain. It's worth noting the reverence that meal time seems to be afforded. It is very social, and relaxed, with lots of little rituals. I enjoyed it very much, and it was the primary bonding time for our group.
The staff at
ICO, who we partnered with for this project, are awesome. Not only do they do really important work, they made us feel welcome from our first day. I thanked them in kind by mastering mah jong.
As we were in China on behalf of the fashion industry, we tried on some local garb. Pictured here with us is our guide, translator, and general minder Zhou Xu Han, aka Allison (almost all Chinese who deal with westerners us English names. I was always curious to hear about how they go about selecting these names, but Allison "just liked it"), aka Jo Jo. She was far and away the MVP of the team and we wouldn't have had any success without her. Thanks Jo Jo! (Unfortunantely neither Jo Jo nor anyone else in mainland China can access this blog due to censorship laws.)
Before I took for China I went to Kiruna at the top of Sweden to see the Northern Lights. Or try to. (I didn't see them)
Abisko Station is reportedly one of the best places in the world to see the Aurora, as the huge lake is big enough to affect cloud cover and often creates "windows" in the clouds to see the lights from. I had been keeping track of nightly activity here for weeks and feeling pretty excited. On the day I got there locals were saying how conditions were perfect for a big show. So I wandered around all night in -22F, with only occasional trips back indoors to thaw out. No dice. The next two nights were overcast. Strike out. Maybe next time I'm above the arctic circle in februrary I'll have better luck... 
Some cool stuff I did see: the overall aesthetic of arctic living, this railtrack bicycle, sled dogs, spit freezing before it hits the ground, and the ice hotel. 
As far as gimmicks go, the ice hotel has a great one. They build it new every year in different configurations because it melts every summer. Everything is made of ice and snow except for some LED lighting which is used to great effect. The snow beds are covered with reindeer hide with down sleeping bags on top. The shared sauna and fancy bathrooms aren't made out of ice. 
This lovely room could be yours for $479 per night. 
Themed rooms add an interesting touch. Here is one that I wouldn't be keen to stay in.
The famed Absolut Ice Bar, where they serve comically overpriced cocktails in ice glasses, knowing you won't be able to resist cause it's the arctic ice bar and you've gotta try it... Thanks to Fredrick, introduced to me by a bball teammate and super host in Kiruna. And the only dude above the arctic circle driving a Cadillac sedan i might add. 
I stayed at a hostel that also had a kennel of dogs that did sled trips. I could swing one of those ($!) but I took the dog for a walk with some skis on and apporximated the experience. 
