EARTHblog » Marc Choyt
Selling Opposition to a Gold Mine to Santa Fe, New Mexico
When I learned last July of a proposed gold mine just south of my home in Santa Fe, I brought a group together and started a campaign. Earthworks offered support early; and last week, we published a study, Public Risk, Private Reward: an analysis of the Ortiz Gold Mine proposal. This report was part of a broader strategy—it followed my editorial in our local paper in September and the Stop Santa Fe Gold Facebook page. We needed to frame how public risk outweighs economic benefit.
I also made sure people knew I am a real Santa Fe jeweler and business man, a winner of sustainability awards. The selling of the opposition to a gold mine had to be rational, focused mainly on human impact, and tied to the bottom line. In a drought stricken region, the mine may consume the annual water supply of up to 7,000 homes, drain acid into the groundwater for generations and [Ortiz_map] create a massive tailing heap.
Tagged with: mining, gold, no dirty gold, jewelers
The Wizards Behind The RJC Curtain Are Losing Control
“[The] Responsible Jewellery Council’s Chain of Custody destroys value […]
The Chain of Custody is a fiction that cannot truly be verified.”
– Chaim Even-Zohar, one of the most prominent, respected journalists in the jewelry trade press.
The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) website declares that its 350+ members are
“committed to promoting responsible ethical, human rights, social and environmental practices in a transparent and accountable manner throughout the industry from mine to retail. “
These are noble sentiments. How to square them with Even-Zohar’s quote?
Tagged with: dirty gold, jewelry retailers, responsible jewellery council, fair jewelry action usa
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