Impacts_of_a_Borderless_Society

Have you ever bothered to find out where the foods and other products you purchase originated and the resources needed to get them from point A to Point B' How about the ecological and economical impacts that all of this has on our world. I wanted to get an idea of these impacts so I kept track of what I ate for one breakfast and one dinner. My breakfast was pretty simple. I had milk and a bowl of cereal. The milk came from a local farm right next to where I live, in Eugene, Oregon. The cereal was transported from a plant in Chicago, Illinois. My dinner came from all over the U.S. I had Alaskan Cod, which was of course from Alaska and Fettuccine Alfredo from Chicago, Illinois. I also had green beans from Rochester, New York and a beer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All of the items in these two meals originated from different areas in the United States. They were then transported to a Safeway super market in Junction city, Oregon, also in the U.S. It is not always this simple many of the products that you and I enjoy everyday originate in other countries around the world. No matter where the products come from the ecological and economical impacts are still there. Because of a global market, products are being produced in much larger quantities and being shipped around the world. Think of the fuel that is required to transport and the large scale of pesticides that are being used. How many trees were cut down to make room for grazing herds' These are just a few of the impacts. A great deal of money and resources go into the making of each product. Let’s look at the pasta I talked about earlier. Even before the finished product can be shipped out, the company must bring all of the ingredients together. They need whatever ingredients are needed to make the noodles and all of the different spices for the seasoning packets. Some of the ingredients may even have to be shipped from other regions. There are many ways that the global market affects our lives and our planet. Keep this in mind the next time you go shopping. There are many advantages to a global market one is, immediacy or the speed in which a consumer is able to purchase goods from all the way around the world. A global market along with the internet has increased many businesses market size and given them the ability to be available twenty four hours a day and seven days a week. Many businesses have benefited by moving their operations to other regions. Regions that offer cheaper labor and that can provide access to less expensive raw materials. This can also benefit the consumer. When the company’s expenses are lowered the company is able to offer their product for a lower price to the consumer. Globalization can reduce poverty in a receiving country by, creating jobs that wouldn’t have otherwise been there. A global market has its disadvantages as well. For businesses entering the global market competition increases, creating a much more competitive environment. This can in turn lead to reduced wages and lower standards of living. Globalization can also cause job losses in donor countries because work is being outsourced to other countries in order to save money on labor. A global market requires a lot more traveling; this increases the risk of diseases being spread around the world. Have you ever heard the phrase “think globally, act locally”' What does this mean to you' For me, it means to think of ways in which to help improve or better the whole planet and act on it. Our planet is very big and individually we are very small, each person needs to do his or her part to make a difference. That is where the “act locally” comes in. If each and every individual person thought of a way to improve the condition of their community, it would in turn improve things on a global level. There are many ways each person can help. Recycling or riding a bike instead of driving whenever possible are a couple of ways people could “act locally”. I have never put a lot of thought into the impacts that some of the products I purchase have on the world, until now. There were many facts about the global market that I was not aware of until now such as, local people losing their jobs because of outsourcing and how it has led to exploitation of labor. Even though I am bothered by these negative impacts, I believe the positives are far too great to ignore. There is nothing any of us can do to stop the global market. All we can do is try to improve it. I don’t believe that this information will change how I choose my goods but, it has certainly opened my eyes to how the global market affects our world. It is up to every one of us to improve our world, weather we start in our back yard or on the other side of the globe. If you are bothered by the negative impacts that our global market has on our world, please make an effort to improve them.