Economies of scale have led to a world where everything is grown or manufactured in one place and distributed to the rest of the world. Spinach comes from California and all the cheap crap in Wal-Mart comes from China. Of course, this also means all raw materials are scooped up from around the world and brought to these global manufacturing centers. And this entire system is made possible by cheap oil.

Don't forget that plastic, asphalt, pesticides and fertilizer, and most chemicals are made fr… Continue