Reactions to 'Plight and Prospect'

Whenever I visit a new town or city, I always find myself asking my hosts why there is a city there. Did their city grow up because of a bay or river useful for shipping? A particularly fertile tract of farmland? A crossroads of railroad or highway to serve as a logistics hub? Or is it a city like Phoenix Arizona, for which one can find little reason for it to exist for natural reasons?

Some examples from my own life: Minneapolis, where I lived for 3 years prior to moving to Bloomington, grew up as a milling town around St. Anthony Falls. This is the only major waterfall on the entire Mississippi River, which combined with good farmland nearby made Minneapolis into the grain milling capital of the country starting in the 19th century. The city is still home to such food business giants as General Mills, Pillsbury (since bought out by GM), and Cargill. So say what you will about these corporate behemoths, at least they have a "natural" reason to be where they are.

I spent my high school years in Champaign Illinois, which was basically a swamp until the railroad arrived in the 1850s. The need for a stop on the new rail line caused the town to drain most of the swamps, getting rid of most of Champaign's forested areas. Now, aside from a few areas of town Champaign is mostly forest-less aside from a few nature preserves and protected areas. It should also be noted that Champaign is on top of a major aquifer, and surrounded by prairie that serves as prime farmland thanks to the glacial soil. So one wonders why people chose to settle in swampland?

McHarg discusses how human settlements should ideally grow up around terrains that are naturally suited towards these settlements, and how these areas should be developed according to their natural processes. So, Minneapolis and Champaign would be examples of what McHarg would consider "good" and "bad": Minneapolis grew up around a river and used that resource responsibly, while Champaign took swampy forested land and transformed it into something supposedly more fit for human settlement.

If natural or physical capital were taken into consideration when planning a city, perhaps a place like Champaign would look much different, and the swamps that were drained could play a role in water storage, especially given their pivotal point between surface water and a aquifer. Or maybe Champaign could have been a center of aquaculture, especially considering the recent introduction (and potential commercialization?) of Asian Carp into Illinois.

Introduction

Hello! I am an MBA student at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, majoring in supply chain management. My interest in sustainability & 'green business' has led me to take some courses at IU's School of Public Environmental Affairs (SPEA)  to learn more about how to integrate the concepts of sustainability into my career and personal life. One of these classes is SPEA V515 Sustainable Communities, which looks at the micro-economic and philosophical aspects of sustainability for cities, communities, and in one's own life.

One of the reasons I chose to study supply chain in business school is that I am continually fascinated by where stuff comes from, and love to attempt to unravel puzzles of figuring out our globalized world. This is by no means groundbreaking work, but for my SPEA V515 personal project I would like to look at the foods I eat on a weekly basis and try to break down where they come from!

A little about my current eating habits: I am no locavore, and I do not eat strictly organic food. I have a tendency towards organic produce from the farmers' market or local co-op, but more out of a appreciation for the taste/freshness than out of ethical leanings (I suppose the ethics are a fringe benefit?). I love meat as one piece of the entire food pyramid, but currently my wife & I are taking a break from it and trying to eat vegetarian for the fall, mostly for health reasons.

Because my diet consists of local, non-local organic, and industrial foods, I thought this blog might serve as a way to compare and contrast the different supply chains. Who knows, some industrial foods might not be so bad for the environment. Some 'organic' products may be not so great. I am interested to see what comes up, and perhaps it will serve a a catalyst for a diet transformation in my own life.