| Spring 2005 Update Welcome to the Spring 2005 Class Rings campaign update. Oxfam America and EARTHWORKS are distributing this bulletin to keep No Dirty Gold activists working on the Class Rings campaign current on the campaign's progress and the opportunities to get involved.
To learn more about the campaign, get background materials, plan an action on your campus or request a campus visit, email us at classrings@nodirtygold.org. And don't forget to sign the No Dirty Gold pledge (http://www.nodirtygold.org/take_action.cfm).
Class Rings and No Dirty Gold Campaign Activity
Demand No Dirty Gold When Class Rings Come This Spring
From March to June, No Dirty Gold activists on campuses across the country are going to ask class ring vendors for responsible alternatives to dirty gold. You can join us by organizing a tabling event on your own campus. Find out how by emailing classrings@nodirtygold.org.
Fall Class Rings Actions Take No Dirty Gold Message to Campuses
No Dirty Gold's Class Rings campaign has been gaining momentum since last fall due in large part to student-led actions on campuses around the United States. In the northeast, student leaders at Williams College, American University, Yale University, George Washington University and Ithaca College organized a variety of successful No Dirty Gold activities. Their actions ranged from classroom teach-ins to tabling events to screenings of the documentary Choropampa: the Price of Gold; which documents the effects of a 330-pound mercury spill near Peru's Yanacocha gold mine.
The No Dirty Gold campaign is concerned with both environmental and human rights abuses, so it appeals to a wide range of people. Members of Students for Social Justice and Greensense at Williams College in Massachusetts found that out when more than 70 people signed the No Dirty Gold pledge at their first tabling event last November. To learn more about the success of NDG on the Williams campus check out Martin Williams's tory about their action here.
Students Warn: Don't Tarnish Your Love with Dirty Gold on Valentine's
On the second anniversary of the No Dirty Gold campaign, activists such as Meredy Throop at George Washington University, and others at American University, University of Vermont, University of Colorado, and George Mason University passed out hundreds of Valentine's cards reminding consumers of the connection between the gold they buy and the fate of communities affected by mining. At actions in New York City and on campuses, a total of more than 5,000 Valentine's were distributed during the Valentine's Day weekend. Check out this No Dirty Gold press release to learn more about the Valentine's Day actions and to see photos from New York.
Student News from the Field
Peruvian Student Movement Critical to the Community Success at Cerro Quilish
When Newmont subsidiary Minera Yanacocha decided not to expand the Yanacocha Mine in Peru to Cerro Quilish, it attributed much of its decision to wide-spread community opposition to the project. The opposition was led by local compesinos, with support from students at the public and private universities of Cajamarca. During the mass protests in September 2004, students braved police intimidation and hostility to an extent that surprised and encouraged movement organizations, such as GRUFIDES. Follow this link to learn more about the role that students played at Cerro Quilish.
Come Out and Learn More About No Dirty Gold
NDG at the FAIR Conference, American University
The No Dirty Gold campaign presented a workshop called The No Dirty Gold Campaign - Addressing the Impacts of Mining on Communities and the Environment at the FAIR Conference in Washington, DC on Saturday, April 2. The FAIR Conference is a free, three-day gathering of student activists for workshops, speakers, action planning sessions, and skill-building seminars intended to show the role student movements can play in influencing international policy.
NDG at the COOL Idealist Conference, University of California at Berkeley
NDG gave another workshop and tabled at the COOL Idealist National Conference held at the University of California at Berkeley, March 18 to 20. As part of the global economics track of the conference, the workshop explored the high social and environmental costs of gold mining and its dubious record at poverty alleviation.
NDG at the National Conference on Organized Resistance, American University
On February 6, the No Dirty Gold campaign held a workshop and tabled at the National Conference on Organized Resistance (NCOR). NCOR is an annual weekend of workshops held at American University in Washington, DC. It is intended to provide a forum for student activists to compare tactics and strategies. The NDG workshop outlined the impacts of mining on communities and the environment, and showed attendees how they could get involved. The workshop was attended by about 25 participants, whom included the interim executive director of the Network in Solidarity with the People of Guatemala, a post-doc who had written her thesis on the human rights implications of mining development in Ghana, and several coal mining activists from Appalachia. During two days of tabling, NDG also signed-up dozens of new members and added to the thousands of people whom have signed the No Dirty Gold pledge. If you haven't signed the pledge yet, you can do so here.
About Earthworks and Oxfam America
The No Dirty Gold campaign is led by Earthworks and Oxfam America. We work with local organizations and communities around the world on issues related to mining, human rights, and the environment. To learn more about the objectives of the No Dirty Gold campaign, please visit our Web site at www.nodirtygold.org and download our report, Dirty Metals: Mining, Communities, and the Environment (http://www.nodirtygold.org/dirty_metals_report.cfm).
If you got this newsletter from a friend and would like to subscribe, there's only one way to get it: Take the No Dirty Gold pledge at http://www.nodirtygold.org/take_action.cfm
Please send suggestions to or comments to classrings@nodirtygold.org. | 
