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October 2007

October 25, 2007

The Gold Standard

Mining_2Dirty Gold gives a whole new meaning to Dirty

If you are like me, you are unaware of the ecological damage and human toll that is extracted from gold mining.  I never really gave it much thought.  The statstics are overwhelming.  One gold ring can leave behind 20 tons of mining waste.  Not only does gold mining cause environmental devastation but it also exhibits some appalling human rights violations in terms of beatings, and imprisonment.  Not to mention the unsafe conditions of gold mines in developing countries with little to no regulations.    Murder can also become an undesireable effect to speaking out in a gold mine community against these practices. 

What's in your Gold?
Toxic chemicals are exposed in the mining process.  These can get into your drinking water, into the ground, into the air.  Metal mining is one of the leading industries of toxic waste.  The waste contains such toxins as lead, mercury, arsenic, selenium.  Unfortunately, there is also intentional toxins used in the process of mining the gold itself.  When rock is broken and gold is extracted in a technique called "Heap Leaching", cyanide is sprayed to bond the gold.  Because this process of Heap Leaching is used repeatedly, it is a logical conclusion that the surrounding environment wil get contaminated.  When one thinks about just a rice grain of cyanide can kill a human, imagine what it can do to fish and other animals.

"Consider, for example, the failure at the Omai gold mine in Guyana.  A project of the Canadian mining corporation, Cambior, the Omai is one of the largest open-pit mines in the world.  Its tailings dam failed in 1995, releasing some 3 billion cubic liters of cyanide laden tailings into the Omai River, a tributary of Guyana's largest river, the Essequibo.  Following the spill, the President of Guyana declared all 51 kilometers (32 miles) of river drainage from the mine to the Atlantic Ocean - home to 23,000 people - an official "Environmental Disaster Zone." (Dirty Metals p.5)

Next Issue:  A look at the Human Rights question in regards to Dirty Gold.

Posted at 10:35 AM in Mining | | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Global Good

  • FINCA
    In 2000, 147 nations agreed that, together, the citizens of the world must work to put an end to severe poverty by 2015. They drafted eight important goals which, when achieved, will improve the lives of the three billion people living in dire poverty. Through the Village Banking Campaign, FINCA intends to use the power of microfinance be a key player in the global movement to end poverty.
  • Care.org
    CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. We place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Women are at the heart of CARE's community-based efforts to improve basic education, prevent the spread of HIV, increase access to clean water and sanitation, expand economic opportunity and protect natural resources. CARE also delivers emergency aid to survivors of war and natural disasters, and helps people rebuild their lives.
  • No Dirty Gold
    The No Dirty Gold campaign is working to educate consumers, retailers, and the general public about the impacts of irresponsible gold mining, and to enlist their support to reform harmful mining practices. The campaign is not calling for a boycott of gold. It is calling on the mining industry to provide alternatives to irresponsibly mined gold, which today is too often produced at the expense of communities, workers, and the environment.
  • URTH Solution
    Founded by James Scott, Urth Solution is an ethical company that believes in Trade not Aid to support communities and foster growth in the developing world. It's our goal is to reduce or eliminate environmental, humanitarian and economic abuses, working closely with mining communities to improve their quality of life. A for profit company, Urth Solution is a company dedicated to making an investment in gold but also helping people at the same time.

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