Why should I Recycle My Gold

Better for The Environment, Better for The People

1. Human Life is More Valuable

Igorot mask The real price of gold has less to do with monetary value than it does with the value of life and land. Historically, gold rush periods are romanticized as wild west scenarios with a town saloon, gunfights and saucy women. Americans were raised on stories of prospectors and the tribulations they endured during their endless search for a buttery vein or nugget of gold. What the history books neglect to mention is the effect of the gold rushes (and subsequent gold mining) on the people indigenous to areas where gold is often found.

This is an experience felt worldwide, from the Native Americans in the US mainland, the Galamseys of South Africa to the Igorot of the Philippines.

People all over the planet are paying the real price of gold with their health and their lives

Recently the commercialization of the mining industry makes the whole operation more impersonal and less inclined to respect the value of each and every human life.

Polluted water

2. Mining Wastes A Lot of Water

Where Mother Earth is concerned, water is the biggest environmental consequence of gold extraction. Not only does mining for gold consume enormous amounts of water, but it also contaminates the water sources it draws from.The majority of gold mined in the United States comes from Nevada, and the gold mines there consume more water every year than all of the people in the state combined.

One gold mine can consume 100 million gallons of water every day.

The harsh chemicals used to further refine ore into its pure state pollute the ground water and destroy local ecosystems and animal life.

Mining waste

3. The Waste By-Products

In its natural state, gold is surrounded by rock. Mining is the process of extracting ore from the surrounding rock and then refining it with chemicals into its purest form. The amount of waste generated through systematic mining is immeasurable.

For every ton of pure gold that exists today there is three million tons of waste to dispose of.

Most of this is in the form of discarded rocks saturated with chemicals and solvents. Inevitably these poisons find their way into the ecosystems when they are dumped, at great cost to native plant and animal life.

4. Greedy Mining Companies

The reason big companies have industrialized the mining of gold and other precious metals is the commercial demand for the products. They mine the gold to meet consumer demand. This presents a dilemma that we don’t often consider when we purchase something that glitters for our sweetie. With the cost of mining to the people and the amount of waste and pollution generated we have to be aware of the ethics of our large gold suppliers. Not to mention those of the governments that sell their land to mining developers for a piece of the pie.

Th Greedy suit ere is hope, there are mining companies who follow the Golden rules and work hard to cancel out the consequences they create. Think of it as sustainable gold mining.

When you buy jewelry give your patronage to jewelers who purchase their gold from the cleaner mining companies that take steps to reduce their environmental impact.

Check the website of your favorite jeweler to research their policies for purchasing clean gold.

5. People Need Basic Rights

The gold of the world is systematically supplied by large corporations on every continent.

South African children Real people can easily become lost in the sheer scale of the operations, and any government willing to subject their land to mining processes is hardly going to regulate them to benefit the people of the area. This gives big companies free reign to move in and start the ritualistic deforestation and stripping of the land required for large operations. Historically indigenous tribes near mining operations are exploited, pushed from their native lands, poisoned by polluted ecosystems, and exposed to foreign diseases.

People who have inhabited places for hundreds of years are forced to give up their rights to the land and leave or live in a wasteland of stripped forests and mountains of discarded rock.

This affects people on a fundamental level worldwide, from South Africa to the Southwest of the United States to Australia.

6. The Overall Environmental Cost

The end goal of any mining company is to process as much gold as possible and the more we mine the further underground we are forced to go.

Strip mine site It is safe to say that most of the gold found on the surface of the earth has been snatched up already.Which makes following any source of gold ore a more invasive and difficult task every day. The potential profit is so great that big companies can afford to keep their technology cutting edge and their processes as efficient as possible.

In the world of human beings, efficiency isn’t always the most ecologically sound concept

Slowly as we realize how small our world is, we start to appreciate it more. This has led to a boost in the precious resource recycling market and growing support for mining companies who follow cleaner and safer practices.

	Why should I Recycle My Gold?


	Better for The Environment, Better for The People 1. Human Life is More Valuable The real price of gold has less to do with monetary value than it does with the value of life and land. Historically, gold rush periods are romanticized as wild west scenarios with a town saloon, gunfights and saucy women. Americans were raised on stories of prospectors and the tribulations they endured during their endless search for a buttery vein or nugget of gold. What the history books neglect to mention is the effect of the gold rushes (and subsequent gold mining) on the people indigenous to areas where gold is often found. This is an experience felt worldwide, from the Native Americans in the US mainland, the Galamseys of South Africa to the Igorot of the Philippines. People all over the planet are paying the real price of gold with their health and their lives Recently the commercialization of the mining industry makes the whole operation more impersonal and less inclined to respect the value of each and every human life. 2. Mining Wastes A Lot of Water Where Mother Earth is concerned, water is the biggest environmental consequence of gold extraction. Not only does mining for gold consume enormous amounts of water, but it also contaminates the water sources it draws from.The majority of gold mined in the United States comes from Nevada, and the gold mines there consume more water every year than all of the people in the state combined. One gold mine can consume 100 million gallons of water every day. The harsh chemicals used to further refine ore into its pure state pollute the ground water and destroy local ecosystems and animal life. 3. The Waste By-Products In its natural state, gold is surrounded by rock. Mining is the process of extracting ore from the surrounding rock and then refining it with chemicals into its purest form. The amount of waste generated through systematic mining is immeasurable. For every ton of pure gold that exists today there is three million tons of waste to dispose of. Most of this is in the form of discarded rocks saturated with chemicals and solvents. Inevitably these poisons find their way into the ecosystems when they are dumped, at great cost to native plant and animal life. 4. Greedy Mining Companies The reason big companies have industrialized the mining of gold and other precious metals is the commercial demand for the products. They mine the gold to meet consumer demand. This presents a dilemma that we don’t often consider when we purchase something that glitters for our sweetie. With the cost of mining to the people and the amount of waste and pollution generated we have to be aware of the ethics of our large gold suppliers. Not to mention those of the governments that sell their land to mining developers for a piece of the pie. There is hope, there are mining companies who follow the Golden rules and work hard to cancel out the consequences they create. Think of it as sustainable gold mining. When you buy jewelry give your patronage to jewelers who purchase their gold from the cleaner mining companies that take steps to reduce their environmental impact. Check the website of your favorite jeweler to research their policies for purchasing clean gold. 5. People Need Basic Rights The gold of the world is systematically supplied by large corporations on every continent. Real people can easily become lost in the sheer scale of the operations, and any government willing to subject their land to mining processes is hardly going to regulate them to benefit the people of the area. This gives big companies free reign to move in and start the ritualistic deforestation and stripping of the land required for large operations. Historically indigenous tribes near mining operations are exploited, pushed from their native lands, poisoned by polluted ecosystems, and exposed to foreign diseases. People who have inhabited places for hundreds of years are forced to give up their rights to the land and leave or live in a wasteland of stripped forests and mountains of discarded rock. This affects people on a fundamental level worldwide, from South Africa to the Southwest of the United States to Australia. 6. The Overall Environmental Cost The end goal of any mining company is to process as much gold as possible and the more we mine the further underground we are forced to go. It is safe to say that most of the gold found on the surface of the earth has been snatched up already.Which makes following any source of gold ore a more invasive and difficult task every day. The potential profit is so great that big companies can afford to keep their technology cutting edge and their processes as efficient as possible. In the world of human beings, efficiency isn’t always the most ecologically sound concept Slowly as we realize how small our world is, we start to appreciate it more. This has led to a boost in the precious resource recycling market and growing support for mining companies who follow cleaner and safer practices.