Thinking Beyond Food

Welcome!

         As the creators of this blog we, Mary B, Luisa R, Kasha C, and Rachel J, would like to give a little introduction before we delve into the nuances of our food consumption. We come from very different backgrounds. Along with eleven other students, we were thrown together five months ago when we embarked on this eight month-long journey. Thinking Beyond Borders is a gap year program that focuses on international development and teaches its participants how to be proactive agents of change. In each of the four core countries we visit, we study a different development issue: the environment and water in Ecuador, education in China, sustainable agriculture in India, and public health and HIV/AIDS in South Africa (you can learn more about the program at www.thinkingbeyondborders.org). 
            India, where we are currently, has perhaps changed our perspectives on food most drastically. We have learned about the horrors of the industrial agricultural system and its negative impact on the environment, the economy, society, health and so many other areas.  Fortunately, we also discovered countless alternatives that are infinitely healthier, more sustainable, and that incite change. On a personal level, we have all been inspired to revise our eating habits and to amend our current unsustainable system.
            The four of us were so excited about our newfound knowledge that we wanted a way to share it with the world. Thus the creation of this website, where we hope to showcase our learning and communicate how we have changed. We want to document our different journeys as we redefine our respective relationships to food. We hope that you, our reader, will be motivated to do the same.

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  Mary B. is from Arlington, Virginia and went to school in Washington, D.C. She is interested in environmental science, wildlife conservation, international development, and recently, sustainable agriculture.  She is going to Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana and hopes to continue studying the issues she has studied on Thinking Beyond Borders there. Her favorite vegetable is zucchini.

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Kasha C. is from Sacramento, California and is still unsure where she wants to go to school. However, she knows that wherever she is she wants to be close to the ocean where she can pursue her passion for marine biology. She wants to find a career where she can still foster her passion for the big ole blue and make sure to protect the environment. This may be anything ranging from picking up trash off the beaches to encouraging humane and sustainable ways to fish. Kasha secretly wants to be a mermaid.

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  Luisa R. is from Munich, Germany, went to school in Connecticut for her Junior and Senior year and will be attending Boston University next fall. She hopes to raise more awareness about the issues we are facing today – education, deforestation, climate change, sustainable agriculture, water scarcity, etc. – and inspire others to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. Luisa loves pretzels – but only REAL GERMAN pretzels.

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Rachel J. is from Atlanta, Georgia and plans on going to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this fall. She is extremely passionate about environmental and agricultural sustainability as well as international development. Although Rachel has yet to choose a specific focus, she hopes to become a social entrepreneur and effective agent of change. Rachel recently overcame her lifelong phobia of sharks.

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