This week I’ve been thinking about a trend which I’ve yet to name in any meme-able way. When Thomas Friedman wrote that the world is flat, one of the things he was referring to was the fact that the internet and social media have made information sharing around the globe instantaneous. And while not everyone can afford an airline ticket, most people are 12-14 hours by plane to any country they would like to visit. When I am using micro aggressions against xenophobes I like to say, “In 8,000 years, we’ll all be the one skin color anyway.” My way of saying the earth is flat and getting flatter.
But wait!
A contradicting point of view, one being brought on by global warming, viruses, sciences and demographers, suggests we may need less travel. And definitely need to reduce emissions caused by global transport of goods. Here in Asheville, we are very big on local sourcing of food. Hopefully, local sourcing of clothing and everyday essential isn’t far away. If we can create little micro or semi-micro manufacturing schemes to feed the needs of local consumers, and do it eco-efficiently, we’ll reduce emissions and stop carbonizing the planet.
The flattening of the earth made imports and exports viable. Now we need to retrench. To quote a great Rasta Peter Tosh, we need to Localize It.
Peace.
