What About The Women?

For people living in the developing world, not only is regular day to day life hard, but when living in a mining community, things can be even more difficult, especially for the women. While the men are out in the mines working, the woman's responsibility is to gather and provide the food and water for their families. But when the food and water are contaminated, the women have to travel considerable distances to find safe resources.  By spending most of their time wandering around in search for nourishing and non-poisoned food and water, they have less time to take care of their other responsibilities and chores.

In many countries, women aren’t allowed to own any land or have any say in community affairs. This gives the men all the power and leaves the women underprivileged. In the most unfortunate circumstances, if a woman’s husband and/or son is killed, the woman will be left with no land, no income, basically nothing.  

Not only do the women have no rights to land, they also rarely have any employment opportunities.  In the developing world, women are usually placed in the fields to farm, but when the farms are torn up so the land can be mined, the women are left jobless. If the women are lucky enough to snag a clerical job within the mining companies they are often sexually harassed and discriminated against by their male coworkers.

It is important not to forget that while mining is usually a “man’s job”, women are often just as affected as men by the harmful consequences.

Stacy Allen

http://www.nodirtygold.org/disadvantaged_women.cfm

The lives of those who mine our gold!

Ever imagined the path your luxurious gold jewelry took to reach you?  Unfortunately, it is not a glamorous one!

It is likely that the gold you possess is from Africa.  Ghana especially, is an African nation that earns majority of its foreign exchange from gold.  For poor villagers in Ghana, illegal gold mining has become the main source of living.  And their job safety is at extreme lows with climbing down dark and deep mining pits with no safety gears except for their bare hands and feet, pickaxes, dynamite and mercury.  

Not only is their job security and safety are at risk, the environment their families live is full of poison!  In fact, a study completed by the U.N. has found unsafe levels of mercury in the bodies of villagers including the non-miners.  And, the concentrations of mercury in the fish the villagers consume were found to be three times high compared to the safety levels suggested by the E.P.A.  The level of mercury pollution and the lives of villagers are difficult to save without proper mining equipment and safety gear.

Before your wear that gold jewelry on your skin and enjoy its luxury, research about your gold; question your retailer.  Recycle an old, existing piece of jewelry before you purchase that new gold.  Glitter guild-free!

http://www.grist.org/article/confessions/

Got Golden Rules?

Think gold is pure? Think again!

Gold mining has become a huge threat to the environment. When you purchase a gold ring for that special occasion, or simply for luxury, you are contributing to tons of mine waste. In fact, metal mining is the number one toxic polluter in U.S.; it adds massive amounts of mercury and lead to the environment. And, you are encouraging the miners to use Cyanide, which is a poisonous chemical used in gold mining to separate gold from the ore. Nevertheless, gold mining consumes 10% of the world’s energy.

Make sure the gold you are buying meets the Golden Rules!

These are social, human rights, and environmental criteria encouraged by the Earthworks, a non-profit organization. Make sure your gold was not produced at the expense of local communities, workers and the environment!

 http://nonewcoal.greens.org.au/gold/toxicity/the-hazardous-process-of-mining-gold

Green Mining – Real Green?

When it comes to gold mining, the first reacting is that it is a terrible thing towards the environment.  In 2007, a Denver based company name Newmont Mining Co. became the first gold mining company to be listed on Dow Jones Sustainability Index, an index of companies with commitment to environmental concerns and protection.  One would think green mining is a lot safer and environmentally better, but drama and problems still occurred in green mining practices.  Newmont owns Ahafo mine, a gold mine located in the rural region of Ghana.  On October 2009, a cyanide spill at the Ahafo mine destroyed aquatic life and contaminated drinking water.  Ghanian government found that not only Newmont didn’t take precautions, they also failed to report the spill or investigate it.  The Ghanian government decided to fine Newmont $4.9 million for not responding effectively and the spill.  Tension were already heated up before October spill between the mine and local community.  Local residents objected about the mine’s environmental footprint and its impact on the people and surrounding community.  9500 local residents were displaced prior to the mine’s opening back in 2006.  Possible expansion of the mine would displace even more people.  As much as 10,000.  In addition, mine opponents also stated the mine’s security officers have beaten protestors, shot at them and had them arrested.  Although Newmont is attempting a new route to eco friendly mining, like other large modern mining, the Ahafo mine uses open pit mining to extract gold from the Earth.  It uses cyanide to separate out gold from unwanted materials.  Newmont stressed the importance of sustainability and environmental concerns, but they lack the interests of local communities.  Government regulation and policy can play a key point and pressure in companies like Newmont to do a better task at their tasks and taking local communities interests and concerns.  After this incident and the serious fine to Newmont, it should cause Newmont to think thoughtfully about how it can improve their image, goals, and their commitment to the environment, which is to be an eco friendly mining company.

By Xi Zhong

http://blog.brilliantearth.com/2010/02/16/most-eco-friendly-gold-mining-company-still-spills-cyanide/

Gold mining in Alaska

I read an article is related to Gold mining plans for Alaska. Alaska has been found a major industry and impetus for exploration and settlement. In 1848, Russian used to discovered placer gold, but they did not produced. Then, the United States is trying to gold mining after the United States acquired the territory from Russia.

Environmental activists urged Americans to prevent other countries’ miners who are mining one of Alaska’s most abundant tracts of wilderness. It is not allow foreign companies to plunder Americans’ resources, so they have to again with them, and try to protect their gold sources. The companies named Anglo American, the chairman and chief executive meet people in London. He said “the company was currently in “very early stage exploration” of Pebble. “There’s no mine plan,” he said. “If we can’t build it in a way that safeguards the environment and natural beauty of Alaska, we won’t go ahead.” It is a good response to let everyone know this is their territory, no one can destroy their communities, decimate, and environment.

Christine Seib, “Green campaigners protest against Anglo American’s gold mining plans for Alaska” Times online. Nov 11, 2010.

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/natural_resources/article7095792.ece

By Wei Hsueh

Green Gold Offers Benefits to Poor, 'Wildcat Miners'

       Gold mining and refining uses toxic chemicals and has the potential to have very negative environmental consequences. The largest gold mining companies use cyanide in the refining process. However, a lot of gold, particularly in South America, mercury is used in the refining process. Mercury has bad negative environmental impacts. It also has severe and negative health effects for the miners that work with it. Centuries ago hatters (makers of hats) used mercury. One of the effects of mercury poisoning is spastic movements of limbs and insanity. The expression 'mad as a hatter' refers to the effects of mercury poisoning that hatters would develop. (“As Mad as a Hatter”, http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/mad-as-a-hatter.html.)

In South America many individuals mine gold. They work in gold mines that have been abandoned by major mining companies. They pan for gold in rivers and streams that no longer provide enough gold to be worthwhile for large, multinational mining conglomerates. They even search through tailings piles (waste) at operating and former gold mines.  Known as 'wildcat miners' these miners are often poor and poorly educated. They use mercury for fast, small-scale refining. They often handle the mercury in unsafe ways and become ill. They also often use the mercury in environmentally unsafe ways and it is released into the environment where it has negative environmental effects. (Penhaul, 2010) 'Green gold' is a way to protect these miners and the environment that they work in from the negative effects of gold refining using mercury. In 'green gold' refining a “small, cylindrical machine blends mineralized dirt with jets of pressurized air, water and biodegradable chemicals in a centrifugal motion that produces a cocktail of thousands of bubbles that rise to the surface attached to specks of gold,” according to  its discoverer, Peruvian engineer and inventor, Carlos Villachica. (Aqunio, 2010)

By Abdullah Alkhaldi 

References

Aquino, Marc. (April 21, 2010) “Peruvian eyes "green gold" to end mercury dumping”. Reuters. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63K50Z20100421.

“As Mad as a Hatter”. The Phrase Finder. http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/mad-as-a-hatter.html.

Penhaul, Karl. (September 7, 2010). “Life's a gamble for Chile's 'wildcat' gold miners”. CNN. http://articles.cnn.com/2010-09-07/world/chile.wildcat.miners_1_precious-minerals-gold-prices-northern-atacama-desert?_s=PM:WORLD.