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Dirty Gold

FOR SOME PEOPLE, GOLD HAS LOST ITS GLITTER. MAKING JUST ONE GOLD RING PRODUCES TWENTY TONS OF TOXIC WASTE.  LEARN MORE ON TODAY’S ENVIRONMINUTE.

MINING GOLD TODAY ISN’T ANYTHING LIKE WHAT THE FORTY-NINERS DID DURING THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH.  ALL THE GOLD THAT WAS  EASY TO MINE HAS BEEN FOUND.  MOST GOLD DEPOSITS AROUND THE WORLD NOW CONSIST OF MICROSCOPIC SPECKS SPRINKLED THROUGH TONS OF EARTH, EXTRACTED USING HUGE VOLUMES OF CHEMICALS THAT PRODUCE TOXIC RUN-OFF, INCLUDING MERCURY AND CYANIDE.  ENTIRE RIVER SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN POISONED, AND PEOPLE MADE SICK.

NOW SOME COMPANIES, LIKE TIFFANY, CARTIER, AND PIAGET ARE TAKING THE ‘NO DIRTY GOLD’ PLEDGE. THEY’LL ONLY BUY GOLD FROM MINING COMPANIES THAT OPERATE RESPONSIBLY. NO MINING OPERATION IS PERFECT, BUT THERE ARE PRACTICAL WAYS TO OPERATE CLEANLY. 

THE ENVIRONMINUTE IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE HEINZ FAMILY PHILANTHROPIES AND THE HEINZ ENDOWMENTS.  LEARN MORE BY VISITING ENVIRONMINUTE-DOT-COM. 

To learn more, visit http://www.nodirtygold.org/