Greetings activsts, environmentalists, leftists, lovers, friends, relatives and all those that just happen to end up on this little blog, one of who-knows-how-many out there! At some point while surfing around in this little fraction of cyberspace you will probably ask yourself "What kinda smart-ass does this blogger think he is?! He always seems to want to preach to us some stupid stuff that is apparently happening on this planet. And we, the poor innocent consumers, are suppose to be somehow responsible for it. Give us a break!"
Well, you are right. I can't help being the idealist that I am. 
As promised, this entry is all about that shiny metal everybody seems to be keen to have and we happen to call Gold.
The more you know, the less Gold glows
Gold mining is one of the world's dirtiest industries: it pollutes water and land with cyanide, and leaves a long-lasting scar on communities and landscapes. Producing one gold ring generates 20 tons of mine waste.
The No Dirty Gold campaign is a unique initiative which enlists consumers in the effort to end harmful gold mining practices. They need us, the consumers, to speak out and let the gold industry know that we care about the way that gold is produced. Take the consumer pledge and demand an alternative to dirty gold here.
Our signatures will help the campaigners to convince the gold industry that consumers are informed about current mining practices - and that they support the No Dirty Gold campaign. They will submit the signatures to leading retailers and manufacturers of gold jewelry, electronics, and other products that use gold.
"If humanity knew the truth about gold mining, and how much harm it generates, things would begin to change."
- Mariano Fiestas, a citrus farmer in the San Lorenzo Valley, the site of the proposed Tambogrande gold mine in Peru.
A wedding band, or some other piece of gold jewelry - for many people, these things are almost too valuable to put a price on. Perhaps you own such a ring yourself. But while the ring as a symbol may indeed be priceless, the gold certainly is not. Gold comes with a price - a heavy one.
In places as diverse as Indonesia, Ghana, the United States, and Peru, gold mining operations have displaced people from their homelands against their will, destroyed traditional livelihoods, and damaged ecosystems.
Gold mining impacts communities on every continent except Antarctica - if you consider that to be a continent that is.
To learn more facts about the gold mining industry, to read the Dirty Metals report, and to find out more about the impact of gold mining on communities and the environment --- visit NoDirtyGold.Org!
The No Dirty Gold campaign has been launched by Earthworks and Oxfam America.
For more reportings on Gold Mining check out these articles by CorpWatch.Org:
For a profound article on Gold Mining and its impacts and consequences I highly recommend this text by the Environmental Health Perspectives in HTML or PDF formats.
We can't be blamed for the current state of the earth.
But we can be blamed if it stays this way!
So help to make a change and spread the word.~
~ p e a c e ~
