No More Dirty Gold
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On Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue and college campuses across the United States this Valentine’s Day weekend, dozens of activists will hand out Valentine’s cards reminding consumers of the connection between the gold they buy and the fate of communities affected by mining.
Their efforts will support Oxfam America and Earthwork’s No Dirty Gold campaign, which urges consumers to ask jewelers for products made from responsibly-sourced gold. The campaign will mark its first anniversary on Valentine’s Day, the most popular gold-buying day of the year according to the Jewelers Information Center. Gold sales in the United States this Valentine’s season (the first two weeks of February) will result in 34 million metric tons of waste, based on World Gold Council consumption rates. Frequently the communities that deal with the toxic waste and by-products, such as cyanide and mercury, that a mine creates are not consulted about whether or how a mine should operate. During a tumultuous year for mining companies and communities close to their projects, the effort to reform gold mining practices has made significant strides. At actions such as those taking place this Valentine’s Day, nearly 10,000 consumers from more than 90 countries have signed a pledge asking jewelry retailers to account for the conditions under which their gold is produced. The actions themselves have cultivated a thriving community of activists to whom the connection between consumers’ choices and the well-being of marginalized communities is clear. "Too often the gold in the jewelry we buy comes from mines where the will of affected communities isn’t respected and environmental disaster follows," Jerry Crosby, No Dirty Gold activist and American University student, said. "We need to stop this by demanding that gold be produced to higher human rights and environmental standards." Crosby is part of a No Dirty Gold initiative focused on class ring vendors that echoes the demands of both the broader campaign and the communities it seeks to help. "Our people have suffered beatings, imprisonment, and murder for standing up for our community rights against multinational mining companies," said Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, a mining activist from the Tarkwa district of Ghana where 30,000 people were displaced by gold mining operations between 1990 and 1998. "We want buyers of gold to support our rights and demand that mining companies adhere to higher ethical standards." Retailers such as Tiffany & Co. are taking note of the growing concern over gold mining practices and responding in kind. Last March, the company published an ad in the Washington Post calling for reform of the mining industry. In addition, developments in the class rings market are forcing vendors to broaden their appeal with options that could include responsibly sourced rings. From when the class ring tradition began at West Point in 1835 until the mid-1970s, almost every campus was offered one style of ring at graduation time. Today changing tastes have fostered a surge in customization that could include responsibly sourced options. The No Dirty Gold campaign has taken advantage of this trend by mobilizing student activists to pressure class ring vendors to market rings containing responsibly produced gold. The primary burden to change ultimately rests on the gold mining industry itself. During 2004, the reluctance of gold mining firms to heed civil society’s warnings led to conflicts and investor concerns. Newmont Mining, the world’s largest gold producer, found it particularly hard to reconcile its interests with the concerns of two communities where it operates in Indonesia and Peru. In September, a dispute between Newmont, the Indonesian government and the community near its Buyat Bay-area mine erupted. The conflict came to a head when five Newmont employees were detained by local authorities on charges stemming from the disposal of waste from the mine into Buyat Bay. In December, Newmont abandoned plans to expand its Yanacocha mine in Peru following large-scale community protests. Since 2002, the community near Yanacocha had protested Newmont’s desire to mine on a hill that supplies the agrarian community with 70% of its water. Both developments troubled Newmont’s investors. CEO Wayne Murdy found himself defending the company’s operations to analysts at September’s Denver Gold Forum. The company has also been forced to respond to shareholder questions on these issues. The No Dirty Gold campaign supports and is inspired by efforts by communities in places such as Tarkwa, Ghana; Cajamarca, Peru and Crescent Valley, Nevada to demand a voice in determining how and under what conditions gold mining should take place. It will continue to link these efforts with demands by consumers from around the world for more responsibly produced gold. As it begins its second year, the No Dirty Gold campaign sees the creation of a bond between retailers, consumers and affected communities as a critical step toward the end of dirty gold. Paul Bugala is a Washington, D.C.-based extractive industries policy research consultant for Oxfam America. www.nodirtygold.org www.oxfamamerica.org www.earthworksaction.org Those interested in participating in the No Dirty Gold Valentine’s actions can either do so online or by contacting info@nodirtygold.orgto learn how to join us in New York City on February 11 and 12. |
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