Impacts of a Borderless Society
Humans live in a world where geographic boundaries cease to exist when it comes to goods, services, and even food. Most people think nothing of having freshly squeezed orange juice or kiwis for breakfast, even those who live in New York City with 10-inches of snow on the ground in the middle of January.
In this age and time everything and anything is available for consumption year-round at the local grocery store. Although it may be an "unintended consequence," these conveniences can come with potentially major ecological and economic impacts that are both positive and negative. For example, the coffee you drink may come from beans imported from Columbia, the sugar you use may come from India, or the steaks you sear on the grill may have come from Argentina. How much fuel was spent transporting these products across the ocean? Were any pesticides used?
If so, was it done in a sustainable fashion? Were forests cleared to make room for grazing herds or larger agricultural fields? These are just a few of the many questions that should be considered when making selections at the grocery store.
Explore the following resources in the Kaplan Library, along with the link from the United States Department of Agriculture, to learn more about the foods humans rely on and the variety of ways in which these foods can be acquired.