Now that the book is submitted for editing. I can take the blinders off and take in the realities of where I am. Guys, I’m in Haiti. O. M. Gee! It is absolutely beautiful along the southern coast of Haiti. Unbelievably so. The earthquake didn’t affect this part of the country. And all around me I see green mountains, blue skies, palm trees and the great big Caribbean sea – blue and vast.

I’m working on a joint project with UN Environmental Program and UN Operations to develop the southern coast of Haiti. It’s called the Cote Sud Initiative and I’m an independent contractor for the project. Here to develop marketing materials for promoting the use of firewood efficient cookstoves that will help in slowing down the rate at which trees are cut for firewood. It’s the same stuff I was doing in Senegal, Nigeria and Mali. Except this time, I’m more focused on marketing and I’m not just working on stoves. I’ll be doing some work on solar lanterns as well.

Call me crazy, but I think I want Haitian citizenship. The food’s great. I hope they let me return someday to buy land along the coast. If there’s one thing I’m learning from all the places this work has taken me, it’s that opportunity abounds. There’s low hanging fruit. And well meaning businesses and the private sector can do so so so much more than years of NGO involvement. So friends, I hope that as ideas evolve, we’ll be joining forces to do some amazing things not only in Africa, but in sister parts of the world like the Caribbean.

Who’s with me!?!