Manataka American Indian Council®
NO Dirty Gold!
Summer
is the time for weddings and graduations! Before you buy that engagement or
wedding ring, or gift of jewelry for your graduate, consider this:
Over 80% of the gold
used in this country is for jewelry. The process of mining causes ecological
disaster. Watch this YouTube video produced by Environmental Working Group &
read on for more information and alternatives to Dirty Gold:
http://www.youtube.com/v/AzGORUDTHgE&hl=en
"Gold mining is one of the dirtiest industries in the world -- it
contaminates drinking water, destroys traditional livelihoods, and displaces
indigenous communities."
No Dirty Gold Campaign:
http://www.nodirtygold.org/retailers.cfm
"Each year in the United States, mines generate an amount of waste
equivalent in weight to nearly nine times the trash produced by all its
cities and towns combined.
A single gold ring leaves in its wake at least 20 tons of mine waste."
Ethical Metalsmiths
http://www.ethicalmetalsmiths.org/FAQ.html#How%20can%20I%20buy%20responsibly%20mined%20or%20recycled%20gold?
Alternatives to purchasing new gold include buying
heirloom or antique gold jewelry
from estate sales or ebay, or buying
recycled gold jewelry:
GreenKarat jewelry
"the primary metal in
every greenKarat design is recycled, and that every gem is either created or
recycled. We provide Green Assay disclosures for every component of every
product, and openly share our practices with you, whether they’re good, or
short of ideal. These disclosures are your tools for comparing us to other
jewelers.
http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/detail.cfm?key=18241
http://www.greenkarat.com/custserv/faqs.asp
Brilliant Earth
is an
ethical diamond jeweler offering conflict-free diamonds from Canada, fair
trade sapphires, and eco-friendly gold and platinum...As part of its
mission, Brilliant Earth donates 5% of its profits to the Diamonds for
Africa fund to directly benefit local African communities harmed by the
diamond industry."
http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/detail.cfm?key=19213
http://www.brilliantearth.com/
Find more listings of cleaner, greener Jewelry in Co-op America's
National Green Pages Directory:
http://www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages/results.cfm?category=J1
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Thanks for Going Green!
The Mother thanks you!
Blessings, Liora
Dirty Gold's
Around
half of all the gold mined from 1995 to 2015 is likely to come from native
lands-the traditional territories of indigenous peoples. Many indigenous peoples
live in remote areas that until recently had not been accessible to the mining
industry. Government and business interests often do not respect the spiritual
and cultural connection indigenous people have to their lands and environment.
And their relative isolation from mainstream society often leaves indigenous
communities without basic legal and political safeguards. In many countries, for
example, the law does not recognize indigenous peoples clearly as owners of
their lands. Even when surface land rights are clearly titled to indigenous
groups, governments frequently sell off the subsurface rights to mining
corporations.
Some examples of mining-related problems facing indigenous people:
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In 1895, the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre tribes of Montana were forced by the US government to abandon 16,200 hectares (about 39,700 acres) of what was then Spirit Mountain, a sacred site. The government wanted the land opened to gold prospecting. Today, Spirit Mountain has been replaced by the Zortman-Landusky open pit cyanide-leach gold mine. Although the mine was closed in 1998 when its owner, Pegasus Gold, declared bankruptcy, it continues to pollute what is left of the landscape. Both surface and groundwaters have been extensively contaminated. Water quality problems and poor cleanup of disturbed lands have prompted multiple lawsuits by the tribes against both the state and federal governments. The first lawsuit in 1994 resulted in a $37 million settlement for violations of the Clean Water Act.
In Bolivia, Canada-based Orvana Minerals began operations in May of 2003 at its Don Mario gold and silver mine, located in the heart of the pristine Chiquitano Forest, home to numerous Chiquitano and Ayoreo indigenous communities. In June 2003, the regional indigenous federation filed a complaint with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector lending arm of the World Bank and partial financier of the mine, alleging violations of World Bank environmental and social safeguard policies. An IFC investigation is underway.
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The people of Porgera, Papua New Guinea have been dramatically impacted by a large Australian-run gold mine in what used to be an isolated area. Credit: Jeff Atkinson/Oxfam CAA |
Indigenous people have special rights to be consulted about mining projects when governments retain ownership of sub-surface mineral deposits on their lands. Under the International Labor Organization's Convention No. 169 Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries, which has been signed and ratified by 17 countries, governments must allow for a culturally appropriate system of consultation. ILO Convention No. 169 also requires indigenous communities to participate in the benefits of mining projects. Seven South American countries are parties to the convention, and indigenous communities in the region have used the convention to defend their rights.
For more information:
Endangered Communities. A section from Dirty Metals: Mining, Communities, and the Environment. (592KB)
International Labor Organization Convention 169 Concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples in Independent Countries
Credits:
http://www.nodirtygold.org/toll_on_indigenous_peoples.cfm
