Say No to Dirty Gold
I am constantly amazed at the things we are doing to degrade our environment and endanger our health. The damage to our environment goes far beyond driving cars and cutting down too many trees. Just about every single thing we produce leads to environmental damage in some capacity. Something as seemingly simple as jewelry is no exception. Gold mining in particular can have devastating impacts on the environment. Gold mining damages water resources by raising the acid levels in rivers and lakes, which is harmful to both wildlife nad people. Cyanide, used to leach gold from ore, pollutes water and kills fish and other life. Mine wastes also include byproducts that include mercury and heavy metals, which can work their way into the food chain and cause numerous ill effects for generations. In addition, gold mining pollutes the air because of the dust that is produced in open-pit mines. The smelters used for release the gold from the ore release oxides of nitrogen and sulfur into the air, both of which cause smog and acid rain.
I find it so sad that we’re willing to literally kill other people and living things to obtain jewelry and other gold products. However, there are things that we can do. First, don’t buy gold jewelry unless it comes from a retailer that uses either recycled gold, such as www.greenkarat.com, or sustainable mining techniques (for a list of such retailers, visit www.nodirtygold.org).