Archive for February, 2009
Stimulus Package Raises Hopes for Mine Cleanup
Wednesday, February 25th, 2009The economic stimulus package that President Obama signed on Tuesday contains more than $1.5 billion for construction and maintenance projects by the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service and the Forest Service. Proposed projects include addressing pollution and safety hazards caused by abandoned mines on public lands.
An Eco-Friendly Valentine’s Day
Friday, February 13th, 2009Valentine’s Day is a classic occasion to celebrate loved ones with gifts of jewelry. Just make sure that your gift from the heart is ethical and environmentally responsible. Every day, millions of children and adults around the world are mining in horrendously unhealthful, poorly paid, and environmentally damaging conditions. In southern Africa diamonds are still [...]
Protest over Botswana Bushmen’s Land Rights
Friday, February 13th, 2009Human rights group Survival International hosted a protest yesterday outside of UK diamond purveyor Graff Diamonds’ flagship London store. The group has demanded that Graff Diamonds pull its stake in a new diamond mine in Botswana. The mine is situated on the land of the traditional Kalahari Bushmen, who have already been recently displaced and [...]
Big Step Forward for Fair Trade Gold
Friday, February 13th, 2009An important step has been taken to increase the availability of independently certified fair trade gold on the international market. Ethically sourced gold may soon join the ranks of increasingly popular third party fair trade certified products, such as chocolate and coffee brands. In December, 2008 the boards of the Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM) [...]
Diamond Fingerprinting Study
Friday, February 13th, 2009In spite of greater worldwide attention to diamond sourcing, smuggling is still a serious problem. In Southern African countries, in particular, many stones are still being illegally mined, smuggled, and sold to fund conflicts and corrupt government practices. In an effort to help reduce illegal mining and smuggling, South Africa’s national mineral research organization, Mintek, [...]