|
Past Actions
Tell the World Gold Council: Don't Endorse Mine Waste Dumping in Lakes
The World Gold Council has a new member -- Coeur d'Alene Mines Corporation, which is building the Kensington gold mine in Southeast Alaska. Kensington will generate millions of tons of mine waste. The company wants to dump that waste into a pristine mountain lake -- killing all the fish it contains. Act now to tell the World Gold Council it shouldn't promote such irresponsible practices -- and neither should its members.
Ask Jostens to Endorse the Golden Rules
The fall is a time of new opportunities and responsibilities for students returning to school. The same is true for the class rings vendor Jostens. In February 2006, the No Dirty Gold campaign named Jostens one of the eight jewelry retailers lagging behind other retailersdue to their lack of support for responsible gold production. As students return to campus and Jostens begins its biggest sales season, the company has another chance to show its commitment to the environment and human rights. Tell Jostens to endorse the Golden Rules!
Tell Target to Help Clean Up Dirty GoldTarget Corporation, one of the world's largest jewelry retailers, lags behind many other major retailers when it comes to supporting responsibly sourced gold jewelry.
The success of the No Dirty Gold campaign has helped advance a dialog with jewelry and mining companies on the need to uphold social, environmental and human rights standards at gold mines around the world. Because jewelry accounts for 80 percent of gold use, we need large retailers like Target to get on board.
Let the Romanian Government Know: Communities Have the Right to Say No!
For five years, local communities have led a growing opposition to the proposed Rosia Montana gold mine in the Apuseni mountains of west central Romania. Very soon, the Romanian government will decide whether to grant a permit to Gabriel Resources, the company proposing the mine. Tell the Romanian government to deny the permit for the Rosia Montana gold mine proposal.
Thank Jewelers Working to Clean Up Dirty Gold
Thanks to consumer voices such as yours, jewelery retailers realize that their customers care just as much about clean water and healthy communities as they do about the sparkle in their gold jewelry.
Please send a letter to thank the eight leading jewelers who have pledged to move away from "dirty" gold sales:
Ask JCPenney, Wal-Mart and Sears to Sign on to the Golden Rules
Tell JC Penney, Wal-Mart and Sears that you care about the human rights, labor and environmental conditions under which gold is produced -- and urge them to commit to more responsible sourcing criteria for gold.
Tell Alicia Keys to say NO to Dirty Gold
Despite her other good works, Alicia Keys is supporting Dirty Gold by appearing in a World Gold Council advertising campaign. TAKE ACTION to send a letter to Alicia Keys (through her management company and record label) asking her not to support Dirty Gold.
Tell Golden Star Resources to Respect Human Rights in Ghana
Golden Star Resources has poisoned rivers and drinking water and destroyed local farms in Ghana. Send a letter to GSR and the Ghanaian government, telling them that gold mining companies must respect human rights and compensate communities for damages caused by mining.
Tell Newmont not to Mine without Community Consent
Update: VICTORY! Newmont agrees not to mine
Newmont Mining, the world's largest gold producer, wants to expand its Yanacocha mine onto Cerro Quilish mountain -- over the objections of the citizens of Cajamarca who would be impacted by the mine. Please take action to tell Newmont not to mine without the consent of the communities that would suffer the impacts of the mine.
Keep the World Bank Out of Irresponsible Mining Projects
The World Bank's own study, the Extractive Industries Review, counsels the Bank to disengage from environmentally and socially irresponsible mine proposals. Now the Bank is wavering on whether to adopt those recommendations. Please tell the World Bank to follow its own advice and adopt the recommendations of the Extractive Industries Reivew!
ACTION UPDATES
VICTORY! Newmont Agrees Not to Mine
Without Community Consent in Cajamarca, Peru
5 November 2004
Dear No Dirty Gold supporter,
In September, thousands of you wrote to Newmont Mining Company in support of the people of Cajamarca, Peru who oppose the expansion of the Yanacocha mine onto Cerro Quilish, a sacred mountain and primary freshwater source for the area.
|
Cajamarca campesinos Credit: GRUFIDES |
Yesterday, in full page ads in Peruvian newspapers (see below), Newmont announced that it has asked the Peruvian government to revoke its exploration permit for Cerro Quilish. Newmont cited the community's concerns as the primary reason for abandoning the project, and admitted that the company has not always listened to the valid claims and concerns expressed by the Cajamarca community in the past.
"This gesture, which comes a bit late, is extremely important because it recognizes for the first time the errors in their relationship with the community," said Father Marco Arana, executive director of GRUFIDES, a Cajamarca-based organization dedicated to social and environmental justice. "We hope that this gesture will accompany other concrete signs that help to reconstruct confidence and credibility that has been lost."
This is a significant step in the right direction toward establishing a community's right to free, prior, and informed consent, which is a key demand of the No Dirty Gold campaign. Thank you for your support!
Sincerely,
The No Dirty Gold campaign team
Read the news stories:
"Newmont won't expand Peru mine"
Denver Post, 11-5-2004
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~2514472,00.html
"Newmont shelves Peru project, could miss production target"
Rocky Mountain News/Bloomberg News, 11-5-2004
http://tinyurl.com/6l43b
"Newmont's Yanacocha Gives Up On Peru's Quilish"
Yahoo New/Dow Jones Newswires, 11-5-2004
http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/041104/15/3o9pf.html
|
